The Spirit of Adian
by Lorraine24
Summary: A companion piece to A World of Their Own. L is trying to adjust to his existence as a water spirit and come to terms with the exhausting battle he fought with Kira.  He ends up running into a few old friends along the way.
1. Taramik

**Death Note © Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, all OCs belong to me.**

**A/N:**

**Spoilers if you haven't read all of_ A World of Their Own_**

**You are NOT going to know what's going on in this story if you have not read _A World Of Their Own! _All 33 chapters!This was written as a companion piece; which deals with what happens to L right after his death and/or his first years in the spirit world. There will only be three or four chapters (unless I get inspired to take this story further), and they will be fairly short ones.**

**If you want to avoid a lot of dialog between L and Taramik and get straight to the gut of the story.. go to chapter 3 and start from there (once I get it published).**

** There are a couple of people I need to thank at the end of this for giving me an idea or two about this, but I'll wait until the end so I don't give away the ending.**

**Also... for those who have been waiting on the LxOC collaboration, The title of it will be _To Catch a Sparrow_. Please know that I will be publishing it on another fanfic account since it is a collaboration (Under the penname of AgentSparrow08).**

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He was little more than water vapor being hoisted up into the sky. The air was his vessel; its winds pushing him up into the heavens. It had taken every ounce of strength and will power he had to escape his body, and now he was struggling to hold on to his self awareness. It was the most vulnerable time a spirit of the elements could face. Escaping his body had only been the first step. If he couldn't hold on to his self awareness, then the final death would still consume him.

L had lost the war with Kira. L was dead. _'No… No! I haven't lost the war! This is far from over! L may lose a few battles here and there, but L will NEVER lose a war!' _His spirit was very quickly turning hostile and angry. He loathed Kira— he loathed Light Yagami. It was that growing hatred and anger that saved his awareness. It was so strong, there was nothing else. His senses never once strayed to any other part of his life as a human. There was the war between Kira and L… and that was it.

L had no idea how he managed to drift into the realm that he had visited so many times in his dreams— the endless field that was Raine's own private little world. Had he ventured there out of instinct? Had something brought him there? Of _course _something had brought him there. He could have never found it on his own. The wind spirits had guided him there. They knew his connection to their sister, and they knew that the field was his rightful home.

No sooner than L found himself hovering over that endless field did he hear a familiar voice. "I have to say, I'm highly impressed with all you've accomplished. Your efforts to restore balance to what has been disturbed have not been overlooked, Adian."

It was the entity only known as the Spirit of Judgment— the child who had sentenced Raine to a 150 year slumber of nightmares. The magenta eyed boy stood lazily against a great tree. It was the only full grown tree that could be seen. The saplings that surrounded it suggested that the field was on its way to growing into a forest.

Seeing the child didn't have an immediate effect on L. He was still too stuck in his anger to care about anything else. It annoyed the child that L didn't respond. "Talk, Adian! Try out your new voice! In fact, show me you know how to regain your human appearance. I have no desire to converse with humidity."

When there was still no response from L, the child spoke more forcefully. His eyes lowered into a glare. "You will show me your human appearance and speak. You should have enough energy to do it. I'm practically _feeding_ you the amount of lifespan you need. Don't make me force you. I won't allow you to resume your recovery until you show me you're more than just a useless haze of vapor."

He waited. Nothing. All the child had to do was twitch an eye, and a solid figure fell to the ground. L had been forced into his human appearance. Though he was exhausted, the sight of what looked like his body caused him to pat his hands all over his face. He wanted to feel his own skin, to confirm that it was real. Of course, it wasn't real skin.

L couldn't understand why he had all of his senses without a fully functioning human body. Instead of skin, what L felt was a cold and grainy surface. It was like touching sandpaper that had been stored in a freezer. The shock of it actually caused L to briefly forget his anger. If there had ever truly been a moment when he could say he was 'freaked out', it was now.

L opened his mouth to speak. He saw no reason why it would be any different than when he had talked to the child in his dreams. Nothing was coming out. He could see the child shaking his head. "You can't produce vocal sounds in the same way a living human can. You're not in a dream anymore. You have no body. You will have to use your elemental language to speak until you learn to fabricate a voice that can be picked up by a human ear. As for your grainy solid form, you will learn to make it feel more human as time passes. Your solid form is really little more than a large amount of stray particles that have been forced together. The more compact the particles, the more solid your form will be. I shouldn't have to explain this to you though. Most elementals your age have to learn these things on their own."

L didn't want to talk with the child. He felt he was too weak to stay awake for much longer. He was also aware that there was no way the brat intended to let him go until their little chat had been completed. In his elemental language, L finally gave in. "Why are you always here? Do you not have anything better to do with your time?" L thought it was odd. Why would someone as powerful as that strange little child want to hang out in a boring field?

The child smiled slightly. "I just happen to like it here. It's quiet. It's not like I can't see what's going on in the other worlds. I have thousands of eyes. It also gives me the means to annoy your lover until she breaks. I enjoy annoying her. She's so animated when she's angry."

"…Raine…" It was like he had just recovered a long lost memory. L could swear his soul (which supposedly had no nerve endings for feeling stimuli such as pain) had suddenly started to ache. "How is she handling this? I can go to her now, can I not?"

The boy yawned as he stretched."You don't have the strength to go anywhere. You can't even manage a dream tap in your current condition. It will be years before you fully recover. The only reason you're awake right now and in your solid form is because I'm giving you the energy."

"Then you can spare me enough energy to contact her."

"No. No, I will not honor any request that concerns a criminal who has yet to serve her full sentence. If she decides to stop avoiding it and return to the spirit world, then perhaps I shall show her a little more compassion. I will however, grant you a single request. The sacrifices you've made have earned you one."

"It was all a game to me. I should assume you're aware of that."

"It was a game to you in the beginning, yes. Once you realized what you were truly dealing with however, it became much more to you. It became your very reason for existing. Goodness knows you _needed_ a reason to exist. You certainly weren't _supposed_ to exist." A hint of a smile crossed the child's face.

L glared hard at the boy. "I had other reasons to exist. I was the world's greatest detective. I was in love. I had the privilege of calling Quillish Wammy my adoptive father. I was an inspiration to my orphan brothers and sisters. I had _more_ than enough reasons."

The more he thought about those things— and the fact that his battle with Kira had stripped all of those things away from him— L could feel his anger starting to return. He was no longer the world's greatest detective. That would be passed down to Near or Mello. Watari was dead— dead because of the game L had played.

And then there was Raine. They had planned on living happily ever after in the UK and raising a family. Death wasn't supposed to knock at their door this soon. Now she was alone, and he was no longer in a position to protect her. How could he? He couldn't even stay awake without the assistance of the red-eyed youth. He now had to put all of his faith in those at Wammy House. They were all Raine had left. They were all the world had left.

"What is your request, Adian? I may have an entire eternity to wait, but that doesn't mean I will."

L ignored the question. "What did he do with my body? What did he do with Watari's body?"

"Light Yagami (and the men who now work under him) have arranged to have you and your associate buried in a nearby cemetery. Your body has been lying in a morgue for the past week. They weren't sure what do with either of you. You don't exactly have a known next of kin. Would you like me to show you something interesting? I'd give absolutely anything to see your reaction."

"I assume it's something that I'll find upsetting, or you wouldn't be so eager to show me."

The child's face suddenly softened. For the first time, L saw a grin on the boy's face that actually made him look like a typical little boy (save for the eyes). It was a mischievous grin, yet there was also a childlike innocence to it. "Soichiro Yagami has arranged a small funeral for you. I bet you can't guess who's there to say goodbye." He was sounding more and more like a true child instead of monotone and indifferent.

L's eyes narrowed. "You find all of this amusing, don't you?"

"Yes… yes I do."

"You could put a stop to Kira without even blinking."

"Yes… yes I could." The boy looked at L thoughtfully.

"You're laughable. You had no problem stripping Onasisk of his existence or sentencing Raine to a century and a half of misery; but you refuse to stop a mere human who is obviously breaking the laws of balance by means of a forbidden power that he isn't suppose to posses. You're more than just laughable… you're a sorry judge. You're system is just as pathetic as the system in the human world."

Even though it seemed a total change of character, it didn't really surprise L that the boy started laughing. He was quickly learning to expect the unexpected from the childlike creature. It wasn't a mad cackle, but rather a hysterical laughter that would come from someone watching a slapstick comedy.

It took the boy less than a minute to regain his composure. "And yet another reason I've become so fascinated with your little clique of elemental outcasts. You're no different from the earth and air spirit. Though I am one whom you should fear, you show absolutely none. You challenge me and disrespect me without giving it a second thought, regardless of knowing I could destroy you if you rubbed me the wrong way. I find that very intriguing. Please, continue. That's the first time I've actually laughed in centuries."

"So wonderful to know you find my anger amusing. Show me what you intended on showing me or leave me alone so that I may sleep." L had never sounded more annoyed.

"I want you to see what I'm seeing right now. You won't be able to hear what's being said, but the visual should be enough." The boy's magenta eyes started to glow brightly. The beams they created reflected a type of hologram. It reminded L of a scene in Star Wars. He had been forced to watch the movie as a child during his time at one of the orphanages.

The hologram displayed a small group of familiar faces. The angle was slightly creepy. L was seeing the task force of the Kira investigation (which included Kira, himself) looking down at him. It was as though he was looking back up at them from his grave.

The boy had been right; the visuals were more than enough to rattle L. Light Yagami had stayed behind after the other men had walked away. When he was sure they weren't watching him, he broke into a mad fit of muted laughter, falling to the ground and pulling up clumps of loose soil.

L could tell that Light was shouting in his hysterical fit. It wasn't a fit of mourning, but a fit of triumph. The former Light Yagami— the straight A student with a promising future who knew nothing of Death Notes— was gone for good. Just as L had predicted, his growing power had created a madness that now consumed every piece of him. There was no Light Yagami anymore. There was only Kira.

The hologram slowly faded away, and the boy was eagerly studying L for some sort of reaction. He had apparently forgotten that L was a master of _not_ showing a reaction, despite what his feelings were. The child looked annoyed at first, but then smiled slyly.

"Your little trick of indifference won't work with me, Adian. Your visible actions don't have to speak. I can feel all of your emotions flowing around your core. You no longer have a body to conceal them. Your anger has never been as strong as it is now. You're about to break. You despise Light Yagami. You want to see him destroyed before your eyes. You want him to feel the same agony of defeat that you're feeling right now. Admit it."

" …I… want you… to get me out of that damn grave…" L was struggling to cut through his anger long enough to speak. "That… is my request. Watari's body… will eventually be claimed by Roger. _I_ will not be so fortunate. I want… my body to return to its rightful place among the elements. I don't want my remains to rot in a metal box while Kira stands over it just to taunt me!"

The boy raised his eyebrows as he spoke. "I suppose I could do that. You'll never be fully complete until your body has been properly disposed of anyway. As long as that former part of you is separated from the elements, you're little more than a lost ghost at best. What an excellent choice on your part."

L's allowed his anger to subside enough to think. He remembered the day he had accompanied Raine to a cemetery in New Orleans. There, they had argued about the significance of a human body being trapped behind man-made walls. It was true that he was no longer connected to his corpse, but it had once been a very significant part of his being— and that was something he couldn't let go of.

L suddenly realized how strong his desire was to see that former part of himself create new lifespan. His body had to become part of the soil. The rain had to saturate it so that it might take what it needed back into the atmosphere. He could become fertile soil. It was part of his final purpose— not as a spirit of the elements, but as a human. It couldn't recycle itself if it couldn't reconnect with its origins. Just as Raine had compared a corpse to a plant that could feel without being aware of it; L was now thinking of a lonely flower with no sunlight to nourish it. _'…My poor …lonely… flower.'_

It wasn't the same in that a flower was part of a living organism and a corpse was not; yet, at the same time, it was _very_ much the same. His body was _his_ flower, and he wanted it to feed the soils that molded new life—not remain trapped as an empty shell of dead mass. He had to make sure it wasn't sealed away. If anything, he had to return his genetic code to the soil, or he could forget about recovering it when —and if— he desired to live as a human again. _'I didn't understand it back then, Raine. But now… now I finally understand.'_

L turned his attention to the boy. "That's the reason you wanted me to see this, isn't it? You guided me to the right request. Why? Why are you helping me? You have no reason to. You have nothing to gain from it."

"One thing you will learn as your spirit grows older and more bored with existing is that an action doesn't always require a reason. Regardless of popular belief, the effect doesn't always need a cause."

"I'm not sure I agree with that."

"Of course you don't. You're still an infant. You understand nothing."

"I hope you realize you're speaking with a genius. Not just a genius, but a _superior_ genius. I can figure out a lot more than you give me credit for. Every effect has a cause. The effect of you assisting me is caused by your own boredom. You hid the cause inside of your initial response."

The boy only smirked. "You're an egotistical bastard, aren't you? I find it amusing that a _superior_ genius was defeated by a lower ranking human. Not just _any_ lower ranking human, but a teenager— a child."

L had heard enough. He actually growled as he spoke. "I haven't lost the war! I _WON'T_ lose the war! My traps have been set! Kira will never see his perfect world! Kira will fall before he can claim the throne!" L turned away from the boy. He had to fight to keep himself away from the madness that threatened to engulf him. "I have nothing more to say. If you try and interact with me anymore from this point on, I will only ignore you."

"Aww, and I was having so much fun. I guess I'll just have to go watch someone who's more entertaining— like… _Kira_."

Another growl escaped L, but he stayed true to his words. He had nothing else to say. As he laid there in his new home and wished for the annoying child to leave, L realized something. _'The enchantment of this world doesn't appear to be working. I haven't moved since I've arrived and the dark forest has yet to appear.' _

"I can hear what you're thinking, you know." That irritating child just didn't give up. It provoked yet another half growl from L— which only made the boy laugh again. "You aren't seeing the enchanted forest for a reason; but since you're a _superior_ genius, I shouldn't have to explain why. You should be more than capable of figuring it out on your own."

Instead of arguing, L decided to whine instead. He didn't feel anything like himself. L was indeed dead. Whatever he was now… wasn't what he once been. Just as Kira had consumed Light Yagami, the spirit of Adian was consuming L Lawliet. _Adian's_ alter ego was fading away. That's all L Lawliet had ever really been— an alter ego for Adian— a way to cope with his personal demons. Despite his anger, all Adian really wanted to do was sleep. "Please, go away. I'm so tired. What will it take to get you to go away?"

"You can thank me, for starters."

"Very well. 'Thank you'. Can I please sleep now?"

"You don't even know what you're thanking me for."

"For honoring my request— assuming that's what you intend to do. Must I truly _beg_ you to leave me alone? I didn't enjoy small talk when I was alive and I don't enjoy it now."

Instead of responding with another taunt, the child held out his hand. A blue-green sphere slowly formed in his hand. Though Adian didn't know it, the child was holding a water orb. Elemental orbs were essential in making and maintaining worlds. Normally, the element spirits made them on their own, but the child had no problem making one without actually _being_ an element. His power greatly surpassed the elementals.

"Since you're so new to all of this and none of your fellow elementals are here to greet you into this phase of existence, I will help you get started. And to think, your mate insists that I have no compassion. I enjoy proving her accusations wrong, again and again. This is an elemental orb. Orbs are used to create and maintain, but they are also used as safe havens. You will sleep inside of this until you have regained your strength. This simple gesture alone is what you should be thanking me for; and I assure you that once you wake up, you'll be thanking me for even more."

Adian could actually feel himself reverting back to water vapor. He was beginning to fall into a deep sleep. "Who… are you? You're more than just a spirit of judgment. Who… or what… are you?"

"If you insist to know 'who'; then you can call me Taramik. It was my name back in the beginning—when I actually _needed _a name. Just so you'll know; I normally don't give that name out so freely. Because of such, if you fail to remember it once you wake up, I'll have to punish you for it. That should be fun."

It was unclear if Adian had actually heard anything the boy had just said. He had already absorbed into the orb. Adian had fallen into his sleep of recovery. Completely oblivious to anything happening around him, it was a sleep almost deeper than death itself.

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**Until next chapter... =)**


	2. Breaking

**A/N: This chapter is pretty much nothing but more dialog between L and Taramik. As in the first chapter, you're not going to see L acting like an eccentric sweets loving detective here. Chapter 3 will be the part of the story when he fully regains his L-like composure. I promise. Not that it really matters. It doesn't appear anyone is reading this story. lol! I'm still going to continue writing it though. It's giving me a better feel of writing with the Elemental mythology I created (which I will soon use in a novel). Expect another two chapters after this one. =)**

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L felt as though he had just jolted out of a coma. One moment, there was nothing; the next, he was awake. He could have just as well been opening his eyes to the world for the very first time. His self awareness slowly left its slumber and gathered its memories. Several minutes passed before he figured out who (or what) he was.

As the grogginess wore off, L gradually started to remember everything. He was dead— in human terms. He had fallen prey to the Death Note and narrowly escaped using the small amount of lifespan that had been attached to his original name. He started to ponder how it was possible to have memories or thoughts without a functioning brain. _'How can I possibly function? I have no brain— no hard drive. The entire network of nerves that made me who I was is gone. I'm nothing but water. How? How is any of this possible?' _

L held out his almost transparent hands and studied them. He could actually see the water running through them. His hands _were_ in fact little more than water trying to take the form of something human. _'The entire network… network…'_

L had fallen in to his usual deep thoughts, but he wasn't trying to put together the pieces of a crime this time. Instead, L was pondering his very existence. He was beginning to think less like a detective, and more like a philosopher. He knew absolutely nothing about existing as a spirit of the elements; and with Raine still living as a human, he knew of no one to teach him the basics.

L was beginning to feel very alone. Loneliness was a very familiar emotion to him, yet he was sure he had learned how to deal with such a feeling while he was still alive. At least when he was alive, he had Watari to confide in. 'Watari…' A sorrow swept over him. _'My father…yet another father… is dead… because of me.'_

He briefly thought of the tragic death of his biological father, but he had only one memory of him. With Watari, there were years worth. L recalled the first day he had met Watari. L had expected him to be no different from any other overseer of an orphanage_—_cold and callous; but there was something about the kindness in the man's face that told L he could be a friend. Watari was the very first human being he had warmed up to_— _after the death of his mother. Watari was not only one that L had considered to be his true father, but he had been his best friend as well.

After almost half an hour of mourning the death of Watari (and blaming himself), L decided it was time to face the world that now awaited him. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but he was terrified at what waited for him in the _'new'_ world. He had no idea what to expect.

As he studied his surroundings, L noticed he was in what looked like a small cave. It wasn't very big. In fact, it would have been the perfect size for an underground tomb. For all he knew, it could have _been_ a tomb. The floor of the cave was solid white rock. Not a trace of dirt could be found. The opening wasn't far from where he rested(perhaps 30 feet at the most); but it still made him think of the famous 'light at the end of the tunnel' scenario.

Slowly, L stood up and started to move forward_— _all the while wondering how it was possible to give himself the command to move without a body. It made him think of a medical article he had once read. It talked about amputee patients that experienced 'phantom limbs'_— _which meant they could still feel the arm or leg that was no longer there. Was that condition similar to what he was feeling now? Was that why he could still feel the mechanics of a body that wasn't there?

L decided to shove it to the back of his mind (which apparently didn't need the organ known as a brain to fully function). He felt like he was walking on a water bed, despite the solid rocks beneath his… feet? L had to continue to force himself to stop questioning the things that he'd never be able to figure out by staying in that cave. There were, after all, things he wanted to do. He suddenly picked up his pace_— _not even hesitating to stop and look back before he climbed up to poke his head outside.

He found himself standing in the field again. _'Wait. This has never been anything more than an endless empty field, save for the huge tree and smaller saplings that Onasisk left. Has this underground cave always been here? Perhaps… this is a chamber Onasisk made for himself before he faded away.'_ He turned back around and studied the opening in the ground. _'This place has always had a warped sense of distance. If I walk as far away from the cave as possible, will it still be only a few feet away from me when I turn and look back? Perhaps there was no concept of distance before because I was only dreaming the last time I was here.'_

L decided to test his hypothesis; but as he started walking away from the hole in the ground, his feet soon left the surface of solid rock and made contact with soil. L suddenly felt like he was sinking. _'What—No!'_ L quickly turned and jumped back to the rocks. _'The earth is absorbing me! I really am nothing more than a giant blob of water!'_

He sat on the rocky surface and hugged his knees. _'Onasisk had no problems appearing human. Even the shinigami was solid. Why is it that I'm little more than water, which can only take the shape of my old body? What am I missing?'_

L wanted more than anything at that moment to play with his bottom lip. Unfortunately, he didn't have a bottom lip to play with. When he touched his face, water only merged with more water. He suddenly remembered the way his 'skin' felt when the child_—_ Taramik_—_ had _forced_ him into a solid form. _'Taramik… I believe I heard him use that name as his own. When Taramik gave me a solid form, I felt like frozen sandpaper. How can I recreate that?'_

L replayed the words of Taramik through his mind. _"__Your solid form is really little more than a large amount of stray particles that have been forced together. The more compact the particles, the more solid your form will be."_

He wanted to close his eyes so he could think. It made him think of his visit with Beyond Birthday after the LABB Murders. L's first comment had pointed out that B had eyelids (which had originally burned away, but were surgically reconstructed). As L tried to close the eyelids he didn't posses, he thought about what B had said. _"__One wouldn't think that eyelids were so vital to have, but I can honestly say that of all the things that melted off of me, I missed those the most."_

'_I relate to you now, B__—as far as the eyelids are concerned. My eyes are forever open… but does this mean I have eyes to see with?' _L suddenly wished he had a mirror. Yet again, he was stuck with another question he had to force to the back of his mind. If L had any hope of answering any of the many questions he had, he would have to figure out how to make himself more solid_— _or he could forget about ever leaving the floor of rock.

As he habitually raised his index finger to his watery face, he focused hard on the words he found significant. _'Particles…network… forced… solid…'_ He knew his instinct had already kicked in to some degree. If not, L would have been little more than a puddle of water or a haze of vapor. He repeated the four words to himself over and over.

The words were his puzzle to solve. As long as he looked at it from that angle, L knew he could figure it out. He had to figure it out, after all. His desire to see what had became of the Kira case was growing, and he felt himself getting restless. He was even more eager to see Raine. L had no idea how she had handled his death, but it couldn't have been a pleasant experience for her—not after the way she reacted to his news during their final dream tap. _'I will figure this out! I shall roam as freely as Onasisk did— as freely as Taramik, and I shall rediscover my human form! Particles… network… forced… solid…'_

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Nearly four days had passed since L had figured out the basic mechanics of form and materialization. He had managed to revert back to the form that Taramik had forced him into before his long sleep. Though his lips felt rough and cold, he was more than grateful that he could actually feel something when he played with them. L had spent nearly half a day doing nothing else but playing with his mouth. His oral fixation had not disappeared with his body.

As much as he wanted to go back to the human world to see what was going on, L had no idea how to leave. Though he was starting to grow restless, he managed to keep himself occupied with learning the little tricks of being a water spirit. Eventually_, _after days of total solitude— Taramik appeared before L once again. "Well, I see you've figured out how to keep yourself together." The child entity materialized slowly in front of L; who was leaning on the giant tree of Onasisk in deep thought.

L sighed and lightly shrugged. "I see you're here to irritate me again."

Taramik responded with a childish laugh. "You really don't give a damn that I'm your superior, do you? I wonder how far you'll go before you manage to anger me."

L knew that rubbing Taramik the wrong way would bring him a lot more than just grief, but he wasn't the type of character to show respect or loyalty just because someone happened to have authority over him. He was more than lucky that Taramik had a sense of humor— however warped it was. L didn't acknowledge Taramik's last comment and got right down to business. "How do I travel to the other worlds? I have unfinished business in the one I left behind."

Taramik's mood suddenly shifted to something that was more similar to L's usual demeanor. "I knew you wouldn't sleep very long with everything that's going on in your old world. Elements normally sleep at least a decade after leaving a human body. You only slept for five years. I suppose now would be the right time to explain to you there are rules that spirits must follow when interacting with the world of the living. Don't think for even a moment that you can go back there and continue trying to stop Kira as if nothing ever happened."

Hearing Kira's name mentioned awakened L's anger. He removed his weight from the tree trunk he had been leaning on. "Then you intend on letting him rule that world by means of an unnatural force? Do I really need to explain to an entity of judgment that the laws he's breaking are far more serious than any human moral or ethical code?"

The boy frowned. "You're getting close, Adian." In other words, L was starting to push the wrong button. "I have no reason to intervene at this time, and I'm under no obligation to give you an explanation as to why. You have such little faith in the two who inherited your legacy. I suppose you haven't even checked to see what sort of progress they've made."

L clenched his fists tightly. "Which is _why_ I'm asking you how to go back there."

"It's a little sad..." the boy yawned before he continued. "You're so eager to continue your chase after Kira, but you've yet to ask anything pertaining to your spiritual mate. Are you not even a little curious as to why you've been unsuccessful in establishing a dream tap with her— or perhaps you haven't even tried? Perhaps Kira should have been the one you said your vows to. You most certainly don't seem to care about the air spirit."

It was a low blow, but it didn't produce a fit of anger from L, as Taramik had expected. L had indeed tried to contact Raine through means of dream tapping, but every attempt had been unsuccessful. He was now too concerned with the underlying meaning to Taramik's words to take offense. "You wouldn't have brought it up if there wasn't something you were dying to tell me. Where is she? Why can I not contact her?" L's concern was starting to turn to fear.

Taramik stretched before he answered. "I killed her." He said it nonchalantly— as if it didn't matter. He waited for L's reaction. L's eyes were as wide as ever. His bottom lip quivered. The expression he wore made him look as though he had just been fatally stabbed or shot in the chest. Very slowly, he sank down to his knees, unable to reply to the child.

Taramik decided to pour salt over L's wound. "Yes, I killed her. In fact, I used _your_ body to pull her into your grave with you. She didn't even scream. Since I was already in the process of breaking down your corpse, I decided to go ahead and include hers as well. Her living tissues slowly decomposed and rotted away— while she was still alive and conscious. I imagine it was very painful. Fortunately for her, she was underground. She probably only felt excruciating pain for a minute or two before she finally suffocated.

Taramik couldn't help himself. He decided to take it even further. "That's what she wanted, you know? She didn't even bother trying to escape her human body once it had died. She had lost all of her will to exist."

Taramik smiled slightly as he watched L completely lose his solid form. L had reverted to little more than a puddle of water. In the world of the elements, losing one's composure meant a lot more than breaking down in tears. He remained that way for several minutes. Then, without any warning, the puddle of water lifted itself up to form a small wall and crashed down on the magenta eyed boy. It was meant as an attack, but it failed to do any damage. Taramik shook the water from his hair, maintaining his light smile. "That was quite refreshing. I literally haven't had a shower in ages."

With almost no effort, Taramik once again forced L into his solid form. The water that had once again returned to a puddle on the ground pulled together to create a very angry L. "You wicked little monster! You killed her! You made her suffer! Your own destruction wouldn't be enough to compensate for what you've taken away from me! You killed my Raine!"

Taramik could actually see the steam coming from L's solid form. L's glare indicated he had finally lost himself to his anger. Taramik actually frowned at what he was seeing. As much as he enjoyed playing his game, an entity as ancient as Taramik was wise enough to know when things were getting out of hand. His demeanor remained calm and indifferent as he spoke. It was a trait that L had once called his own.

"When you were alive, you were known for never showing any emotion. Yet, now that your human walls have been torn down, you no longer have anywhere to hide them." Taramik rolled his eyes and sighed as L attempted another water strike. L still had no idea how to use his abilities as an effective attack. Even if he did, they wouldn't have been effective on Taramik. He was practically immune to an elemental's attacks.

For a child entity, Taramik's patience seemed infinite. There was almost a hint of pity in his voice when he continued. "You're literally boiling, aren't you? I'm impressed. Most water elementals are unable able to manipulate their temperature this soon. You've obviously reached your breaking point, so I'll give you a present to make up for my cruelty. My purpose here isn't to create a monster— and that's exactly what you will become if you don't control yourself. You're walking a very fine line right now, Adian."

L snarled at him. It almost sounded animal-like. "I don't give a damn about your presents!" He was crouching in an attack position. The news of Raine's demise combined with the stress and anger that still lingered from the Kira case threatened his _own_ will to exist. It was just too much. He _wanted_ to anger Taramik. He wanted one of his attacks to land. The worse Taramik could do was destroy him with the simple blink of an eye. The thought was actually starting to sound very inviting.

"Oh, but you'll _like_ this surprise. If you don't, then you have my permission to destroy it." Taramik smirked as he held out his hand to do one of his magic tricks. Less than a second later an elemental orb was hovering just above the palm of his hand. It swirled with shades of light blue, grey and white.

L was preparing for another attack. "I'm not impressed." His control over his abilities was starting to sharpen. L dropped his arms to his sides and opened his hands. He was soon holding two orbs of his own. "Don't think even for a moment I'm destroying it just because I have your permission."

"So, it's your wish to finish her off? I'm a little surprised after the scene you just made when I told you of her human death. If you're wondering the best way to carry out the deed, then I can give you a tip. Swallow the orb in your own water orb and then freeze it. The air spirit won't survive. She's much too weak in this state. The ice will smother her. I suppose I would do the same thing if I were you. She has no desire to exist anymore, after all. You'll be doing her a favor." Taramik was once again taunting L. He even went out of his way to hold it up higher so L could get a good shot.

Taramik's words had registered with L in the nick of time. His water orbs fell to the ground for the earth to absorb. He reached his hand out to Taramik, begging for his '_present_'. "But… you said she was—please… let me touch her. Please… let me hold her."

Taramik tossed the orb in L's direction. It slowly floated over to L, who carefully caught it and caressed it like a security blanket. His anger had almost completely subsided as he lightly wept over the air orb. "My… sweet… gentle… breeze."

The child of judgment watched L in silence for a minute. For some reason, L reminded him of a mentally ill patient in an insane asylum. He could actually picture him in a room of white padded walls— rocking back and forth— caressing his precious blue orb. Taramik had always found insane asylums interesting. It was one of the few things that made humans worth watching.

It seemed like days before L acknowledged Taramik's presence again. "You told me she didn't escape her body."

"No. I told you she didn't bother trying. She intended to burn out inside of her own corpse. I extracted her spirit before it happened."

L actually looked shocked. "You… saved her."

"She still has a sentence to serve." Taramik looked away and shrugged slightly. "Not that it really matters anymore. There really aren't any effective ways to punish a spirit that's already lost their will to exist— unless, of course, they're_ forced_ to exist. I suppose that's my excuse for saving the day. I've changed the conditions of her sentence. All she has to do is exist until she has served her time."

"You keep saying she no longer has any will to exist…" L started to sulk as he cradled the orb.

"Her desire burned away with your death. She was unaware that you were able to escape your body. In her eyes, you burned out— just as Onasisk did."

L stared at the air orb that housed his spiritual mate as he tried to put things together. "The Death Note is meant to steal every ounce of lifespan its victim possesses. Why would _I_ be any exception unless… it must have had something to do with the lifestone that Raine used to restore me—the one that saved me from dying at the age of three. There's nothing else it could be."

"Yes. Akaia failed to remember you still had lifespan connected to your original name. Where humans are concerned, the human body is like an envelope that lifespan has been stuffed into. A person's name acts as a seal. When a shinigami writes ones name in their book, they rip off that seal and steal the envelope's contents. Rem had no reason to write your other name down. She could see that there was only a minute stuffed in the envelope at best."

"And that minute was all I needed to escape. If that's the case, then it appears Raine has once again saved me from my permanent demise. If only she would have known— or perhaps she _did_ know. She was just too distraught to think of it…"

"Don't flatter yourself by thinking your death was the only thing that contributed to her breaking. It wasn't something that happened overnight— it was gradual. She was a criminal in the spirit world, she felt responsible for the death of Onasisk, and she endured 17 years of despair while she was in suspended animation. Her human body felt the pain of assault as well as its own decomposition. Not only has she witnessed true misery, she has also touched it. Once she learned of your demise, she held on to it and couldn't let go. It'll be decades before she has it in her to wake up again. There's really nothing more I can do to her."

"Should I assume that's the reason you lifted the enchantment on this world?"

"It was wasted energy. I knew what would happen to Akaia's stability the moment your name was written. My dark forest of despair would have little effect on her at this point."

"I see." L wasn't sure what to do or say next. Raine would obviously be out of commission for a very long time, and he still had no idea how to travel back to the world of the living. Even if he could go back— what could he possibly do as a spirit?

"You can't interfere with human affairs, if that's your intention."

L almost forgot that Taramik could hear his thoughts. "And what do you intend to do about the shinigamis who are interfering with human affairs as we speak?"

"I have no reason to discuss such things with you. My main concern at this moment is that the notebooks be returned to the shinigami realm."

There were a few minutes of silence. Taramik knew exactly what L was pondering. He waited patiently for L to finally ask the question he had been waiting for. "If I were to aid you in retrieving these notebooks, would you consider that interfering with human affairs?"

"That really all depends on how you approach the situation. I'm interested to see how you choose to handle it. Should you make the wrong choices, I will personally sentence you to pay for your crimes. Because I have my own laws to follow; you will be unaware of your status until you return from your mission."

"I still have no idea how to travel from world to world." There was hint of frustration in L's voice; yet at the same time, he was excited. Taramik had just indirectly sent him on a mission to retrieve the Death Notes.

"Of course. You still have a lot to learn about your new form— most of which you will need to learn on your own. Since your replacements have finally started to stir things up in the Kira investigation, I will quickly teach you the basics of roaming as a spirit. I wouldn't want you to miss anything, after all."

L couldn't help but be a little suspicious of Taramik's motives. "Once again, you're choosing to help me—"

"—because I have a greater plan for you? Yes. Consider me your personal trainer for something greater than what you are now."

L turned his attention back to the air orb. "She will be safe here then?"

"I assure you the underground corridor will keep her just as safe as it kept you. You don't have to worry about her waking up while you're gone either. As I said earlier, she'll be asleep for decades before she's recovered enough strength and willpower to wake up."

L slowly stood up and started walking in the direction of his little hole in the ground. "I shall return momentarily."

Without waiting for any kind of reply from Taramik, L retreated to his underground corridor and placed the air orb in a dark cozy corner. He gently traced his fingers over its surface. "My dearest… you don't know how relieved I am that you didn't succeed in your little suicide attempt. In all honesty, I can't help but feel a little upset with you for making such a decision. Regardless, I'll do everything in my power to give you a reason to live again. I promise I'll help you rediscover the happiness you once knew so well. Please try and stay strong for me."

L brought his lips to the orb, letting his kiss linger as he imagined her in her human form. It stung his heart knowing it would be decades before he could fully reunite with her, but it was more comforting knowing she was safe and sound— rather than non-existent.

Nearly an hour later, L submerged from the cave. "I'm ready to do this, Taramik. I shall not return here until the Death Notes have been recovered."

A pair of glowing red eyes stared L down. "Then I shall show you the very basics. You won't like what you see once you return to your old world. You might want to reintroduce yourself to apathy. Make sure and tell Ryuk he's in a lot of trouble."

"Ryuk? Another shinigami, I assume?"

"You'll meet him soon enough. Right now, I need you to focus. I'm only going to show you these things once. I believe first and foremost, I should probably show you how to create the illusion of clothing. You'll more than likely unnerve your old connections if you visit their dreams wearing nothing but artificial skin."

L glanced down at his nude appearance. "Yes, I suppose that would be a problem." He suddenly grinned slyly. "It would be interesting to see reactions, however. Perhaps I'll visit Misa Amane's dreams first. I've always been fond of taunting her." L was starting to feel more and more like his old self. His excitement was pulling him back into his _'L'_ persona.

Though L finished his thought in silence, Taramik smirked at what he heard. _'Perhaps she'll like what she sees. That would be more than interesting.'_

"I'm starting to like you more and more. Your humor is a brand close to my own." Levitating into the air, Taramik's boyish face turned serious. "And now, we begin."

* * *

**Next chapter will be more interesting (and humorous). I promise!**

**Just a reminder. I recently started on an LxOC collaboration under a different account. the pen name is Agentsparrow08 and the title of the story is To Catch a Sparrow. =)**


	3. Father

**A/N: I was originally intending on making this a humorous chapter.. but I just couldn't pull it off this time. It's actually very, very depressing. At least in this chapter, the other Death Note characters are starting to appear.**

* * *

The moment he entered the hemisphere of the living world, L could feel the massive presence of other water elementals. He tried to ignore their many whispers as the wind threw them his way. "Do you know who that is… it's Lawliet's child… if it weren't for _that_ little abomination, Lawliet would still be among us… Lawliet was a fool to fall in love with that tramp of a woman and plant that horrid seed!"

The gossip unnerved L —almost to the point of reconsidering his mission. The subject of his mother and his own legitimacy was understandably a super sensitive subject for him. It was more than obvious that the other water spirits blamed him for the death of his father; who had been very well respected amongst the elementals as well as other spirits. _'Will I be forced to listen to this the entire time I'm here?'_

Once L had descended past the clouds and into the sea, the whispers began to sound much more inviting. The Ocean spirits appeared much more forgiving and friendly than those of the Rain. L was a little unsure of how a water spirit chose its main function—ocean, rain, swamps, rivers… all of it was nothing more than water.

It was a question the waters of the sea were more than willing to answer. Water elementals had all of the same abilities. A rain spirit could become an ocean spirit and vice versa. It was really nothing more than a matter of preference, with no obligation to stay in one place for any given amount of time. From what L could tell; those who chose to dwell in the ocean were a lot more down to earth than those who spent most of their time in the sky. It didn't differ all that much from human society.

As soon as he had made contact with the salty water, L felt rejuvenated and strong. Being engulfed in his own element had been exactly what he needed to fully regain his strength. He marveled at the many sights of underwater life. Because he was little more than water himself, he had no problems moving freely without causing disturbances.

L even decided to travel through the gills of a large fish, just to see what it was like. His experiments gave him a clearer picture of what Raine— or _Akaia_— might have experienced if she were to travel as a breath of air through the lungs of a surface dweller. L suddenly found himself falling in love with his newly discovered world.

As much as he wanted to explore further, L knew that he still had unfinished business. He traveled as part of the currents until he reached a shoreline. Night had fallen above the surface. The moon was half full, and a few scattered people could be seen walking on the beach.

L had no idea what part of the world he was in, but he considered it irrelevant. The invisible lines of man-made boundaries no longer applied to him. Taramik had shown him the tricks of finding particular destinations and people without the need of a map. As a spirit, his direction relied on his own will.

A young man on the beach stared out over the ocean in awe as he witnessed a transparent figure edging closer to the shore. His mouth dropped open at the sight of the ghost, seemingly hovering over the waves. It wasn't until then that L realized he was half visible. Within a second, he had liquidated back into water and disappeared into the waves. _'It had to be a public beach, didn't it?'_

L trickled onto shore as a wave of water— right over the feet of the man who had seen him. "You look like you've just seen a ghost." The man couldn't hear L's elemental whisper, of course. L had still yet to figure out how to be heard by the human ear. It irked him a little. Had the man actually heard him, L would have gladly instigated a game of childish and ghostly antics. Spooking people sounded like a lot of fun.

L toyed around with the idea of showing himself as a ghost again; but decided against it after he remembered the things he had to do. He had an entire eternity to haunt random people. It could wait. Ascending into the air as water vapor, L focused hard on where he wanted to go. After he had his first stop clearly in mind, his will guided him there in a matter of minutes.

* * *

"There's no getting through to him, Mr. Wammy! He goes into fits every time the cathedral bell rings and he gets violent with the staff members when prompted to go inside for worship. He acts like a devil's child!" The voice of the middle aged woman that smelled of spoiled cabbage was loud enough to be heard in the hallways.

A six year old boy perched on a bench just beside the office door; listening in on the conversation between the overseer of the orphanage and the man who owned the establishment. The boy's face wore no emotion as he stared at his feet. His messy black hair hid his eyes from view. They were talking about him, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he had to transfer to yet another orphanage.

"If his participation in cathedral activities is the only problem, then there's no reason why he shouldn't be able to pursue an extracurricular activity while the others are attending service. As far as his reaction to the bell is concerned; I noticed while reviewing his file that the previous facility noted the possible diagnosis of autism. He apparently displays other sensory issues— not related to the loud noise of a bell."

"That's right. He doesn't like people to touch him and he picks things up in a very odd manner— like he finds everyday objects disgusting. You should see the way he sits, perched up on his seat like a demonic little crow!"

"—and his social interactions around the other children?"

"He's a vindictive little liar! It's as though human emotions are little more than a game to him! He won't give the other children the time of day unless he's toying with them! He's a wicked little monster!"

"I see. I also noticed in his file that he's been in several fights."

"I don't know many details from the other orphanages, aside from what's written in the reports; but he recently got into a fight with one of our other problem children. The other boy was bullying one of our girls—"

"—so he _does_ show compassion for others then. He obviously felt the need to protect the girl. His file indicates that most of his motivation for these violent outbreaks comes from a desire to protect the weaker children."

The woman wasn't willing to consider any possible good qualities. "…that child does nothing but disrupt this facility, Mr. Wammy! I want him transferred!"

There was a brief pause before the elder gentleman replied. "He's already gone through every orphanage in my network."

"What about that new school for the gifted you're opening up? According to his evaluation, he's a genius — though I'm willing to bet the little devil found a way to cheat."

"…I shall take the boy in for evaluation purposes. I have no intention of giving up hope on a child. I'm sure once I understand him more, I can find a facility to better accommodate his needs."

"_His_ needs? You're saying an entire orphanage should accommodate _his_ needs? Are you going to have all of the cathedrals torn down and give him his own private room?"

"That's enough, Katherine. Have the boy gather his things. He'll be out of your hair in less than half an hour."

Mr. Wammy had stayed true to his word. The boy had gathered his few possessions and stood ready at the front gate less than half an hour later. Their introduction had been completely one sided. Wammy decided the boy was just nervous and unsure of his new situation, which was why he refused to talk. Once they were on their way, he tried to initiate conversation once more.

"So, young man…. I heard from a reliable source that you're fond of ice cream." Wammy wore his warmest smile.

The boy's eyes narrowed at the older gentlemen. "Is that _'reliable source'_ the same person who assumes I'm autistic?"

Wammy studied the boy briefly before answering. "Are you not?"

The boy glared at him, but didn't answer. Another moment of silence filled the car. Finally, Wammy tried to push the conversation further. "I don't think you're autistic. If your sensory issues are indeed authentic, then you're more than likely on the high end of the Asperger's spectrum. From the reports, I've read however, it seems to me that your main issues center on some sort of inner psychological torment. I'm inclined to believe you hold things in an odd manner for the sheer enjoyment of seeing how people will react to it."

"Aren't you a smart old man?" The boy's sarcasm was dry.

"And if you were actually able to keep up with everything I just said, you are indeed a very bright six year old."

"What does it matter? Do you intend on analyzing me like a science project just because I'm the only person in my age bracket that doesn't fit the description of a moron? I assure you that fact will remain the same once all of us have reached adulthood."

Mr. Wammy smirked slightly at the boy's arrogance. A small part of the puzzle was starting to reveal itself. The boy was having trouble adapting because he didn't feel he was being challenged. Wammy knew he had to push further. "You never confirmed whether or not you had a taste for ice cream. If you don't, then I'd like to at least stop and pick up some for myself, if you don't mind."

The boy actually raised his head. For the first time, Wammy could see his large dark eyes staring at him. "I enjoy ice cream just as much as any kid would."

"Then it's settled. There's an ice cream parlor right up the road from here, I believe."

Wammy ended up buying two banana splits and a hot fudge sundae for the child who apparently had a severe sweet tooth. "So your name is _'L'_?"

"Yes. But everyone calls me 'Lawliet'. Apparently, having a letter for a first name isn't normal."

"It is… uncommon. However, if that's the name you wish to be called, then I have no reason not to."

The child eyed Wammy suspiciously, though it was hard to take the expression seriously with the chocolate that covered his face. "Why are you being so nice to me? What's the catch?"

"There's no catch."

"Are you a pedophile?"

Wammy almost laughed— a little surprised that a six year old knew such a word. "No, child. I'm definitely not a pedophile. I'm just trying to understand how a child such as yourself can get passed around every single one of my orphanages and receive so many complaints. You don't appear to be all that intolerable to me— just… unsettled."

The child known as L suddenly dropped his spoon into his dish—glaring at the table as if its surface had just insulted him. "It's those damn bells."

Wammy crossed his arms and tilted his head curiously sporadic not at all concerned about the profanity that had just left the boy's mouth. "The bells? Well, there won't be any bells where you're going. In fact, I'm pretty sure you'll like your new living arraignments for the time being. You'll have an entire mansion practically to yourself and an entire library of things to exercise your mind."

Little L's eyes suddenly grew wide. "Are… you adopting me?"

The smile on Wammy's face almost disappeared. "I would give anything if I had a son to call my own; but I'm afraid my on-the-go lifestyle isn't one that's fit for raising a child. My intention is to give you a small break from what you're used to. You will be spending the summer at my estate, and then you will go to a brand new facility that will offer you a better curriculum and peers that are closure to your level."

"I knew it. It's just like you told Ms. Katherine— you're taking me in for 'evaluation purposes'. In the end, you're going to dump me at this 'new' orphanage like a piece of garbage and forget I ever even existed." L picked up his fork and picked at the remainder of his ice cream. _'—and what a rotten existence this is. There's no place for me anywhere in this moronic world. I'd give anything if I could send my creator's straight to hell.' _It was a dark thought for a child to have, yet it hovered around the boy's mind like a thick fog.

Quillish Wammy never gave up hope on an orphaned child— so many of them were fragile and broken— never having a stable home or a family that they could call their own— some never knowing who they truly were or where they came from. Overcrowding often caused them to be shuffled from place to place— almost like a herd of sheep. The reality of such a lifestyle often left dark stains on a child's heart.

Most orphans formed their own support systems by bonding with other orphans (assuming they weren't eventually split apart by relocation). Human beings needed those sorts of bonds in order to prosper. L was one of those fragile few who had almost given up on humanity entirely. In Wammy's eyes, however, L was not a lost cause. L displayed a desire to protect those who couldn't protect themselves . It suggested to Wammy that— rather than a problem child— L was more than likely just misunderstood.

"Why don't we just take it one day at a time? We've only just met, after all. I'm sure once we grow to know and understand each other more, you'll see that it isn't my intention to dump you at another facility that will only produce more negative results."

L was still eyeing him suspiciously. "Are you sure you're not a pedophile?"

Wammy sighed. "No. If you must know, I'm an old bachelor who has an uncontrollable appetite for females with red hair— all of which are fully developed and mature. I'm not opposed to graying hair and green eyes are a bonus. You, my dear boy, aren't even remotely close to falling into that category. I'm sorry, but you're just not my type." Wammy grinned and handed L some money to purchase another ice cream. "Well then… would you like to stay with me for awhile, or would you prefer I find you a set of foster parents until the renovations at Wammy House are completed? I'll leave it up to you."

"…"

The scene was now almost 23 years later. In a private cemetery of the Lillian Fields Orphanage, two well maintained graves rested on top of a small hill. There was a traditional statue of an angel with its wings spread out watching over the two graves. It was a rainy day, so the sounds of the children playing had been left inside. If a living creature would have been within hearing range, perhaps they would've heard the rain whispering.

The ghost of L Lawliet stood at the foot of the two graves. He had made sure not to make himself visible to the living as he stared down at the tombstone. _'Quillish Wammy. May 1, 1925- November 5, 2004. Our Beloved Founder and Father._'

L read Watari's tombstone over and over. His words were little more than faint whispers in the wind. "Wammy… Watari…" A nearby wild rabbit's ear rose to attention at the small whimper that almost could have passed for a human's. "…Father."

L knew his lips had just quivered. He sucked it up and crouched down at the foot of the grave. "Watari… I'm… so sorry. It shouldn't have ended like this. I should have never dragged you into such a dangerous game."

L closed his eyes and recalled more memories. "I agreed to spend my summer with you that year. You showed me the warmth and kindness that the personnel in every orphanage always lacked. You saw something inside of me that no one else (including myself) could see. You helped me find my humanity again. You lifted that thick fog. Even when the day arrived that I found myself watching you drive away from the gates of Wammy House, you went out of your way to make sure the bells would never ring so long as I was there. You never stopped looking out for me."

L wasn't the type of guy to speak out open heartedly, but — as Taramik had pointed out— his emotional walls had dissolved away with his human body. Until he could figure out how to rebuild those walls, L was a half open book. Overwhelming emotions could no longer be suppressed.

L clutched a few wet blades of grass as he continued. "I felt so betrayed the day you left me there. In fact, I hated you that day. I hated you for shattering the heart that you, yourself, had worked so hard to repair. But still… I… I knew deep down you wouldn't forget about me— and you didn't. You mailed me journals that logged all of your travels. You made special trips to visit me every month… and eventually, you let me leave the Wammy institution so I could travel with you. You found a way to juggle your career with my dangerous hobby. You—"

L had to stop briefly before his emotions got the better of him. The rain was pouring now. Sounds of thunder boomed as he raised his voice just loud enough for the heavens to hear. "I don't care what genetics say! I don't care that it was never written on a legal document! You're my father, and I am your son. There's nothing in this existence that can change that— not even death itself!"

Sensing the other rain spirits weren't happy with his speech, L decided to irk them even more. "I keep hearing the other spirits refer to me as the son of Lawliet; but they're mistaken. Biology alone connects me to Lawliet. I shall only recognize myself as the son of Wammy."

The other rain spirits were beginning to pull away. It wasn't long before the rain storm belonged entirely to L— though it had weakened considerably. L couldn't help but feel amused. He could've cared less what the other spirits thought of him. His attention moved to the other tombstone. _'Lillian Elizabeth Fields. September 13, 1926- July 23, 1945. The Brightest Angel in Heaven. Taken Before Her Time. My Eternal Beloved._'

A soft smile formed on L's face. "I see. I guess we're all entitled to our secrets. The original red haired beauty— with green eyes that shimmered like jewels (hopefully not related to Onasisk in any way)… the look-a-likes never quite filled the void, did they?"

'Look-a-likes' that never completely filled the void— the phrase made L almost immediately think of Beyond Birthday. B was the tragedy that L and Watari both could claim sole responsibility for. Watari had started up a new program at Wammy House in hopes of finding potential fill-ins for L, in case an emergency were to ever occur.

The first year of the program had managed to produce a serial killer as well as prompt a suicide. After several adjustments and some major changes in policy, the program became almost non-existent. Only a select few knew of the openings for succeeding L— and those were the candidates.

Near and Mello— the most recent batch of fill-ins— had been thrown to the wolves too soon. L worried about the progress they were making. If L, himself could not defeat Light Yagami, then there was little chance that Mello and Near would be able to do it.

Thinking of Near and Mello made L realize he needed to stay on task. He had an entire eternity to mourn the loss of Watari. Kira had been allowed to run wild for far too long. L knew he couldn't interfere with human affairs, but he had every right to retrieve the notebooks. The biggest challenge wasn't Light Yagami at all, but rather— the shinigami who haunted the notebooks. Though he had never actually met Ryuk, L knew that the shinigami wasn't going to just hand them over.

Before he could devise a plane, L needed to know where the Kira case stood. He was almost certain that Light would be posing as L. What he really needed to know was how much progress, if any, Near and Mello had made. He needed to know if the task force members were still alive.

'_Surely, Kira wouldn't kill his own father…_' L looked back down at Watari's grave one last time before leaving. _'I'd like to think that Light Yagami still has some form of compassion left inside of him. I won't give up on that hope, just as you never gave up hope for me, Watari. Farewell.' _As L set off to find his next destination, the rain followed him.

* * *

In a cold and unfamiliar emergency room, Soichiro Yagami lay dying on a stiff hospital bed. He had been shot during a raid on Mello's hideout. L stood motionless in the back corner of the room; though none of the task force members could see him. He watched without reaction as Light Yagami stormed into the room and rushed to his dying father's bed side.

"Dad, Dad!" Light was frantic as he tried to get his father to respond.

The rest of the task force stood nearby, watching in silence. The doctor stepped in with a grim face. "You should call the family."

Matsuda was the one that replied. "Could they come here in time from Japan?"

L's eyes wouldn't leave Soichiro. "No. He'll die here in the US, without his wife and daughter by his side. All he has is Light…" He spoke out of habit, though he knew the others couldn't hear him. His eyes trailed over to Light. "I'd give anything to know what's going through your head right now, Light Yagami. Do you truly feel remorse for your father? Or is it another act?"

"Dad, please don't die!" Light's turmoil looked sincere enough, but L wasn't ready to discard the thought of Light being upset over something _other_ than his father's condition. Light was a master at being misleading.

Soichiro slowly opened his eyes and looked up at his son. "Light…"

"Dad. Can you move?"

L shifted slightly, still talking out loud. "That's an interesting question to ask a dying man who has no _reason_ to move. What do you have in mind, Light?"

Soichiro didn't respond to Light's question. "G-good."

Light actually looked a little dumb-founded. He had been expecting a 'yes' or 'no' response. "…"

"I still have the shinigami's eyes. According to the shinigami, Ryuk, I can't see the lifespan of those who have a Death Note." Mr. Yagami smiled weakly. "Light… you aren't Kira. That's excellent."

Matusuda actually seemed surprised that his Chief would say such a thing. "Of course not! Were you still thinking of that?"

L shook his head. "Matsuda, Matusda… I see you're still an idiot. Of course Mr. Yagami still thinks of it. The fear that his son could be Kira has cast a shadow over his heart ever since I first told him that Light was a suspect. Deep down, he's always known that his son fits Kira's profile perfectly. Even after Light was cleared of suspicion he couldn't fully ignore the little conveniences that have worked in Kira's favor since Light took over as L."

L could feel his anger starting to boil at the thought of Kira acting as L. Even though L had actually suggested at one time that Light take the place of L in the event of his death, it was a far cry from a serious and sincere request. L's mind started to race as he watched the little scene between Light and his father. "Soichiro Yagami has the shinigami eyes? The same eyes as Beyond Birthday had?" He narrowed his eyes as he listened in to more of the conversation.

Mr. Yagami struggled to speak. "I… I'm sorry. After all that, I couldn't kill him. I…I'm dying. I'll leave everything to you, Light."

It was such a pitiful sight. L actually sighed. He had always had respect for Light's father. Soichiro was a dedicated father and worker, and he tried his best to be fair and honest. Of all the people that Kira had affected, L was certain that Soichiro Yagami had suffered the most. Yagami senior was dying, Sayu was forever scarred from being kidnapped, and Light's mother would now be a widow. Kira's own family had suffered more than anyone— and Light could've cared less.

Light suddenly bolted up from his chair and shoved the Death Note in his father's face. "Dad, write his name! Squeeze out your last ounce of strength and write his name! Are you going to die without fighting back?"

L glared hard at Light. Light was leading the others in the room to believe that he was just upset that Mello was responsible for the death of his father and wanted revenge. L knew better. Though he didn't know all of the details, L had heard enough from the others to know that Mr. Yagami had been the only one who had seen Mello's face. With the shinigami eyes, he had exposed Mello's real name. All Light needed to kill Mello was a face, and his father was the only one who knew it.

"Write, Dad! Remember his face and write it now! Dad!" Light was literally screaming at his father. He put the pen in his father's hand and tried to close his fingers around it— but it was too late. Soichiro Yagami was dead.

The machine that displayed Mr. Yagami's vital screamed a high pitch as it flat lined. The doctor walked over to close the curtain. I'm sorry. but—"

"Dad! Dad! Don't you die, you fool!" Light was going ballistic.

Matsuda grabbed Light and pulled him back before Light could start shaking his father's body. "Light!"

Eventually, Light calmed down and Matsuda let go. Light hung his head down. "Everyone, please leave." His voice sounded sorrowful— unfortunately, the sorrow had presented itself for the wrong reasons.

After everyone had cleared the room, L watched Light intently as he took both the notebook and pen and threw them down on the floor as hard as he could. "Fool! You fool of an old man! All you had to do was write his name!"

L was enraged. Light Yagami wasn't mourning the death of his father— but rather throwing a tantrum because his father didn't murder his enemy for him before dying. At that moment, L _wanted _Light to hear what he had to say. He hated the fact that he had yet to figure out how to make himself heard by the human ear.

"Light Yagami… you are a despicable narcissistic human being. Soichiro Yagami was a loving and caring father— no different than Watari. Do you have any idea how many of us never know the love of a parent? Do you know how many _do _have parents that suffer from abuse and neglect? You're little more than a spoiled brat who's incapable of loving. I'm willing to bet you've never known a day of true despair in your life— which is why you're incapable of showing sympathy for those you hurt. Your definition of 'sorrow' is winning a silver medal instead of a gold one! All the ideals you learned growing up mean nothing to you, because you've never felt the pain that _created_ those ideals. You use your ideal of cleansing the world of criminals as propaganda to achieve world domination; but in the end, you don't give a damn about making the world a better place. You just want to be worshipped. You— Light Yagami— make Hitler look like a fairy tale princess."

As monotone as it may have been, to L— it was a speech straight from the heart. L gave Light a death glare. The sweat was pouring down Light's face— which made him look like he had just dipped his face in a bucket of water. After a few minutes of pacing the room, Light got himself a cup of water— followed by another— and another. He couldn't seem to quench his thirst.

L suddenly smirked. "I see. Yet a new trick for me to have a little fun with— and rest assure, Light Yagami, I will find ways to torment you until this is all over. I shall irritate you in the name of justice— justice for Watari and justice for your _own_ father." L could sense another entity somewhere. It didn't even take him a second to figure out it was a shinigami. "…Ryuk…"

L was eager to meet the shinigami that supposedly started it all— but there was another matter that he couldn't put on hold. He had to find Mello. He had to make sure that Mello had survived the blast at his LA hideout. Evaporating into a thick humidity, L left the Yagami room and set out to find his successor.

* * *

**Just a quick note. I altered Watari's age by ten years so I could place him in WWII (as mentioned in A World of Thier Own). I have it written that he's born in 1925, but according to Volume 13: How to Read, he's born in 1933. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal if I tinkered around with his age a little.**

**I don't have every Death Note DVD nor do i have every volume of the manga... so I used a fan-made online scanlation of the manga to depict Soichiro Yagami's death scene. If I remember correctly, it's differs from the anime in that Ryuk isn't present to make the comment about Soichiro dying happy because he thinks he's confirmed his son isn't Kira. **

**I know I keep saying that there's only one or two chapters left... but I'm not going to do that this time, because the scenes I have in mind to write are turning out a lot longer than originally expected. I can assure you though that there is absolutly no way this story will go past 10 chapters. It'll be amazing if it manages to reach chapter 5. Thanks for reading, everyone! i had no idea until chapter 2 that anyone was keeping up with this story, so I'm very pleasantly surprised! =)**


	4. Fire

**I do not own Death Note!**

**A/N: 6/1/11, 1am- I proofed this one really fast because it's really late, and I want to get this up so I can go to bed. I hope it reads well. I think my sentences are a little choppy, but it seems to be a norm for most people when they're having conversations. This chapter is mostly dialog, afterall. All the same, I'm going to try and steer away from that in the future. Like I said, I had to speed through this as I proofed it, so I'll more than likley proof read again tomorrow and see if I need to make any major changes. I've already had to correct several inconsistincies. Yes, this chapter was a pain in the butt! I hope it reads well for now.. I hope, I hope!**

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L was beginning to grow tired of hospital rooms. In his search for Mello, he found that he had left one depressing scene —only to end up in another. _This_ hospital was a little more familiar to L— partly because he had once been admitted for a concussion.

He remembered the day when he had interrogated Raine. L had gone as far as staging an arrest and destroying her beloved flute — though it had only been a copy— to get answers. In a fit of anger, Raine had punched L in the face, causing him to fall backward onto the corner of a coffee table. L's memories of that day weren't pleasant, to say the least.

Now, he stood to the far side of the room, staring at a burn victim that he knew to be Mello. Though the explosion had happened in LA, Mello was now in the UK. It was unclear how Mello had got there. L deduced that Matt had probably been stationed somewhere near Mello's hideout— in case of an emergency.

Matt had more than likely transported Mello to the UK by way of a private jet. It would have made sense. Matt was the only one L knew at Wammy House who could pilot a plane, other than Watari and himself. Mello and Matt were like Batman and Robin. L was certain that they were somehow working together on the case. In this present scenario, Mello's strong tie of friendship had really worked in his favor. Had Mello been admitted to a hospital in LA— or anywhere else in the state of California— the task force would have easily tracked him down.

The great thing about this particular hospital was the fact that many of the doctors were actually former students of Wammy House. Not every orphan there tried to compete for the title of L. Most of them grew up to work as surgeons, engineers, forensic pathologists, archeologists, translators— the list went on— as did the connections. Though Mello had checked in under an alias, the doctors who were treating him knew who he was. They also knew the importance of keeping him a secret.

L had seen Mello's body just before they had mummified it in bandages. He had been badly burned on his left side. As bad as the burns were, he was a little surprised that Mello hadn't suffered more damage. He had listened intently to the task force members in LA describing the explosion. From the visual he had created in his mind based on that, L had been expecting to see Mello in the same condition as Beyond Birthday had been in after the LABB Murders.

Most of Mello's face had been bandaged up. It wouldn't have been possible for Mello to talk at that point if he tried— not with all of the bandages. His lower jaw lacked the freedom to move. Unlike Soichiro Yagami, Mello lacked the company of concerned friends and family. A nurse would come in every now and then to switch out IV bags or check vitals; but for the most part, Mello was alone— save for the ghostly figure now standing at the foot of the bed.

L was debating on how he should make himself known to Mello. There was no guarantee that Mello was even conscious. As L was about to find out, however, Mello was fully awake— still full of fight. "I know you're there."

L's eyes widened in shock. "He just spoke so clearly! In fact he— did he just speak to me using—"

"Our language? The language of the elements? Tell me something, oh great (and dead) mentor of mine— do you always think out loud?"

L's eyes were still as wide as an owl's. He hadn't been prepared for this at all. "Mello…. You're…"

"A fire elemental. And you're a water elemental. Raine informed me of that much. I'm only assuming that— since she knew so much about the elements—she's an elemental as well. We never exchanged any words through _this_ language, but I'm certain she's one of us."

"Air…" L was trying to pull himself away from the initial shock. "She's a wind spirit."

Mello suddenly choked back painfully on what seemed like a laugh trying to escape. "An air spirit, huh? I always thought she was a little flighty."

L tried to be serious. "This is very big news to me, Mello. I have to admit, I wasn't prepared for it." It irritated L that he couldn't see Mello's expression under his mask of white bandages. He felt like he was talking to a mummy— or a snowman. L quickly dismissed the thought of a snowman. A snowman wouldn't be a good thing to compare Mello with— considering what had just been revealed.

"The only reason I didn't get burnt to a crisp in that open room is because I'm able to control fire to a small degree. I'm sure you probably already know though that my powers are very weak in this human body— not to mention I probably used up half of my human lifespan using such a trick. I'll deny ever saying it, but those men that raided us— I made sure the explosion didn't harm any of them. They more than likely came up with a stupid explanation to explain why they survived."

'_Indeed, they did.'_ L pressed his index finger against his bottom lip. "And why would you do that, Mello? Could it be that you actually have an ounce of compassion? Perhaps you've at least considered the possibility that those men are actually too blind to see that their current leader is Kira himself. You could still use them to your advantage in the future if that's the case."

"I don't have to answer that."

L smirked. "I see… so it _was_ compassion."

"… Go to hell, L. How is it you even exist right now? According to Raine, the Death Note was supposed to steal every last drop of lifespan you had. How did you escape your body?"

"It's actually a very long story— one that goes all the way back to my years as a toddler."

"Do I seriously look like I'm going anywhere?"

L had no reason to hide his story from Mello. He no longer had an identity to protect. Without hesitation, L told Mello the story of the cathedral slayings— and how he had managed to survive through Raine's assistance. He also told the story of how he had crossed paths with Raine twenty years later and how she had helped him discover what he really was. It sounded like little more than a dark fairy tale, but it was the truth; and Mello accepted it.

Once L was finished with his story, Mello immediately jumped back to a detail that had caught his attention. "You said that B was the one who noticed you still had lifespan connected to the other name…"

"Yes. That's correct. B's tangents about having 'eyes that could see the day a person would die' were apparently more than just the disillusioned words of a madman. B really _could_ see a person's name and lifespan. He had the same ability as the second Kira, except—"

"— Except he didn't own a Death Note. He couldn't have."

"I'd say the chances he didn't are probably 78%."

"Then, how did B end up with the second Kira's power?"

L nibbled on his bottom lip. "I'm not really sure. Unfortunately, all of B's secrets went with him to the grave."

Mello remained silent for a minute. "Soichiro Yagami… had the eyes."

"Yes." L looked down at the floor. The mention of Soichiro's name depressed him. "You were very lucky Mr. Yagami didn't have it in him to write your name down. He was the only member of the task force who saw your face. With his death, you will continue to remain faceless to Kira."

"I'm sorry, L— but I can't feel bad about Yagami's death. He had the eyes! He had joined forces with Kira!"

A frown fell on L's face. "Mello… you can't let your emotions cloud your judgment. Things are not always what they seem."

Mello seemed to suddenly turn hostile. "I'll just go ahead and say this right now. I don't want your help nor do I want your opinions! This case is mine! You screwed up and got yourself killed— so step down! I'll be the one who catches Kira; and there's no way I could relish my victory if I thought for even a second that the ghost of L had to hold my hand and walk me through the entire case!"

L wasn't so willing to back down at first. He had lost his own life trying to catch Kira. He felt entitled to participate if he wanted. "While I understand your need to feel as though this must be entirely _your own_ win, this case could be brought to a close a lot sooner if you at least listen to my thoughts concerning this case. The sooner he's brought to justice, the better. I know Kira like a book. I know how he thinks. I know how he operates and what motivates him. You know very little, if anything."

Mello kicked up his unwrapped leg in anger. It was the only part of his body he could move without feeling excruciating pain. "Damn it! I don't want your help! You had your chance! You had your chance and you blew it! You're not supposed to interfere with human affairs anyway! It's elemental law!"

There was a very long silence between them. L closed his eyes as he thought about his situation. "You're right, Mello. I _did_ have my chance." It tore him apart to say it, but it was the truth. L had lost his life before he could reach the finish line. Nothing was going to change that. "If you truly have your heart set on becoming my successor, then you will have to catch Kira on your own. I will not interfere. However, I have been sent here to take possession of the notebooks so that they may be returned to the spirit world. I _could_ take them now…"

Mello almost wanted to laugh. "Yeah, good luck with that. I'm sure the shinigami will just hand them over— without question— to the baby water sprite."

L's face remained emotionless. "_Water sprite_—that seems to be a popular insult." L had been referred to as a 'water sprite' many times in the past by Onasisk."

"There's a negative name for all of us. For water, it's water sprite. For earth, it's mud pie. For air— airhead… you get the general idea."

L found it amusing that Mello left out the negative name for a fire spirit. Mello seemed to be well educated in the world of the elements. He couldn't help but wonder— "Tell me something, Mello. What is your true age? Are you still in your first human body? "

"I'll never tell." If Mello's face wasn't in so much pain, he would have worn his slyest grin. In fact, he had more than likely tried to— because he suddenly moaned out loud in pain. Not that L would have been able to see it anyway.

L listened to Mello's painful cries in silence. Something was tugging at his instinct, but he was unsure of it. He decided to try and act on it. "Mello… As you mentioned earlier, I am indeed a very young spirit. My abilities have a painfully long way to go before I reach my true potential. However, if you would allow me to remove your bandages for a moment— I think I can help you to some extent. At the very least, I can ease some of your pain."

L waited patiently for a response. He couldn't help but feel a little awkward. Up until now, L had always been Mello's hero and mentor. Now that he knew Mello was a fire elemental — not to mention Mello was still alive, as opposed to himself— L didn't feel so significant. It gnawed away at his ego.

Finally, Mello answered. "Let me just say that you suck for getting yourself killed. I still haven't forgiven you for that. But, you're still 'L'. You're still my mentor— my brother. I don't mind taking these damn bandages off. They're suffocating and itchy. You're going to have to help me though. Can you handle solid matter?"

L smiled a little. Mello's failure to include a 'yet' in his question suggested he was asking if a spirit was capable of such a thing— regardless of age and experience. If that was the case, then Mello was still younger than L. L knew it was going to drive him crazy until he figured out Mello's true age.

L had little problem removing Mello's bandages. He had taken the precautions to check for cameras in the room before attempting it. Regardless of how amusing it would have been, he didn't want a security camera capturing footage of bandages coming off by themselves and floating in the air. A floating pair of scissors would have been considered a little unusual as well. He took his time, in order to avoid any error. It wasn't as easy as it would have been if he still had a body.

After over half an hour of cutting and unwrapping, Mello's burnt flesh was fully exposed. For the first time in years, Mello could fully see the face of L. L had made sure to make himself visible, though he was as transparent as an entity straight out of a ghost story.

Mello tried to open his mouth to talk normally, but it was too painful to move most of the muscles in his face. He would have to stick with his silent language. "I'm going to have to keep talking to take my mind off of this pain. Let me just say— taking into account the story you just told me, the only reason you don't know as much as I do about the elemental world is because you've spent most of your life in exile— which you didn't deserve. You forgot how to speak our language, and the other water spirits shunned you because they blamed you for the death of your father."

L listened quietly as he raised his hand to Mello's charred flesh. Though he was nervous, L was sure he could rely on his instincts to sooth Mello's burns. "Yes, that does make sense. I've never done this before, so please let me know if I'm hurting you."

"You sound like you're about to lose your virginity." Mello wanted to laugh out loud so bad, it made his face hurt even worse.

Only a slight hint of annoyance crossed L's face. "You haven't matured with age, I see."

Mello wanted to shoot back an insult— 'and you're suggesting that you_ did_?' — But the moment he felt L's icy cold hand touch his burns; he forgot all about it. L's cold watery hands moved slowly across Mello's injuries, restoring moisture to the damaged skin. Though it didn't heal the burns, it felt just as soothing as cold aloe being rubbed over sunburn— except twenty times better.

"This is only a temporary pain reliever, Mello. It should also help you heal faster." L decided to let the nurses' deal with reapplying Mello's bandages. He looked forward to seeing their faces when they came in to check Mello's vitals— only to find that he had somehow found enough mobility to remove his mummy costume.

Mello wanted to sulk when L removed his hands. He felt like his soothing ice pack was being taken away from him. "How about one more of those treatments before you leave? You said it would make me heal faster, right? That just means I can get out there and catch Kira faster."

L sighed lightly. "I'll stay long enough to give you two more 'treatments', as you call them. I must warn you though; I don't think I can make them heal completely. You will still be badly scarred."

"I can deal with that." Mello's eyes moved over to the clock on the wall. "It's almost 6:30. You might wanna hide yourself before Matt comes to visit. He'll probably piss all over himself if he sees your ghost standing here."

"I suppose I can manage that."

As L's figure slowly dematerialized, Mello decided to bring something to L's attention. "You know, you actually look almost normal without those crazy bags under your eyes."

L's eyes suddenly widened. He quickly rematerialized and retreated to the bathroom to look in the mirror. Sure enough, the dark circles— the ones that were once defined enough to pass as eyeliner— were gone. He wasn't sure if he liked what he was seeing; nor was he sure _why_ he didn't like what he was seeing_. 'Surely, if my clothes are little more than an illusion; then I can also create the illusion of sleep deprived eyes.'_ He tried with all of his might to produce the illusion he was looking for, only to give up over forty five minutes later.

Once he left the bathroom, he saw that Matt had already arrived. He was sitting in the visiting chair in silence— playing his video game. _'And to think I half expected to see them actually having a conversation. That's right; Mello can't talk out loud yet with his injuries.'_

Mello could obviously see L, because he noticed that L was no longer in the bathroom. "What the hell took you so long? Don't tell me spirits have to take shits." Mello was speaking Elemental again, so Matt couldn't hear. L ignored Mello's disgusting remark. He was still too unsettled about his lost feature to be concerned with Mello's crudeness.

Mello continued. "You've got to try a dream tap with Matt! His entire head is pretty much nothing but one big video game! I mean you can actually jump inside his dreams and play as a video game character— and even keep score! There's a different boss to fight every time! And the best thing is you can freely use your powers without using up lifespan or causing any true damage! I can shoot fireballs better than Mario! Hell, I've even _been_ Mario! Princess Peach was all mine!"

Mello was talking a mile a minute, though his body was just lying in the bed like a dead tree stump. It was like listening to an excited little kid ramble on and on over a muted General Hospital. "You can dream tap with Matt? He couldn't be an elemental as well; he'd be able to hear what we're saying."

"No. Matt's just Matt, but you can dream tap normal people just as easily as you can tap other elementals. In fact, it's easier. They just can't dream tap_ us_. You have to be in the same room as a non elemental though, so that you can temporarily merge a part or your spirit— or in my case right now, 'aura'— with their brain. In your case, all you have to do is touch their eyelids and you're in. They never even feel it."

L was about to fall into a deep mode of thought. "I see."

It wasn't too much longer before a nurse came in to check on Mello. As luck would have it, Matt was blamed for removing Mello's bandages. Mello had to endure the pain of moving his muscles to speak out loud so he could explain that he couldn't tolerate the bandages— as a very confused Matt stood by. After commenting that she couldn't understand how Mello was even conscious after such an ordeal, she took his vitals and went to fetch more bandages.

"It appears as though I'll only have time for one more treatment before they wrap you up again. I'll have to start now."

"That's fine. Are you leaving afterward?"

"I'm afraid so. At this time, I want to experiment with a few things that are unrelated to retrieving the notebooks." L raised his hands and prepared to give Mello another treatment, making sure to keep himself hidden from human eyes. _'I'm not happy about the fact that I can't interfere with the Kira case, but I'll accept it. I'll accept it for the sake of you and Near. I'm almost certain that the two of you together can take down Light Yagami, but it'll have to be a two-sided effort. And once Kira has been exposed, I will claim that which does not belong in this world. Not even Ryuk, the shinigami will be able to stop me.'_

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**It was a short chapter, but I really couldn't think of anything else that would fit in this chapter. Now that I've sat down and written down a basic outline of all the events that are left in this story, I can go ahead and tell you that there is a possibility that this could go all the way to 10 chapters (though I'm not certain). There will be a chapter 7 at the very least. That's pretty crazy that this story was originally intended on being one chapter... and now it's turning into a story all of it's own. **

**It looks like my updates are coming in three to four week increments right now. I apologize for that, but I'm currently writing this, plus another fanfic. my real life is very very crazy right now as well. I'd like to thank you guys for the reviews. Again, I honeslty wasn't expecting any for this story. See you guys next chapter! =)**


	5. To Drown in Lust

**A/N: this is incredibly short! It doesn't even make it to 3,000 words! The reason for this is because I'm breaking the chapter down into seperate dream taps. I think it'll be easier to read that way. **

**I hope this story doesn't start to sound rushed, but I'm trying very very hard to get it done so i can start working on my novel. I will be taking this entire elemental concept that I've created and turning it into it's own original story (no Death Note world included). Adian, Akaia, Onasisk, Taramik— they'll all be in the story, but there will be many significant changes. So please forgive me, if I start rushing to get through the rest of this. I'm just starting to get a little burned out on fanfiction. I've been writing it for a year straight, and I'm ready to take a break from it and move on to bigger things.**

**Misa will be speaking in 3rd person— as annoying as that is. I just had to do it, because it was such a big thing in the original Japanese anime and manga.**

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The scene was a dark candle lit bedroom— shadows dancing on the off white walls. The only sounds to be heard: running water from the joining bathroom and the low hum of the air conditioning unit. Steam crept through the crack of the bathroom door. The scent of exotic bath oils and lotions filled the air. The sound of the running water was soon replaced by the sound of a woman humming a mellow tune. When the bathroom door opened; the outline of a slim, well built female could be seen within the unnatural amount of steam.

Out stepped Misa Amane— wearing nothing but black laced lingerie. She slowly strutted into the bedroom, making sure to add as much seduction to her movements as possible. Her long silky blonde hair was hanging down past her shoulder blades— not a black root in sight. It was any Misa-Misa fan's best wet dream. Her adoring male fans would have gladly handed over a month's worth of salary to witness Misa in her sexiest moment.

As she made her way over to the bed, a young man slowly sat up and took in her image with hungry eyes. "Misa… you're so beautiful…"

Misa raised her shoulders and giggled, causing her to momentarily lose her seductive demeanor. She tilted her head and crunched her nose up as she smiled her famous girly grin. "That just means we're a perfect match! As beautiful as we are, we were _meant_ to be the god and goddess of this world!" The bedroom was a lot colder than the bathroom. Misa could feel chill bumps forming all over her body. She hugged herself and shivered. "It's kind of cold in here."

With a hint of concern on his face, a topless Light Yagami rose from the bed and quickly made his way over to his 'lover', wrapping his arms around her. "Let me keep you warm." He firmly ran his hands up and down her back as he held her close— slowly venturing down to other areas.

Misa nuzzled her head into Light's bare chest. She was indeed warming up; too involved in the moment to notice she was standing in a puddle of water. The entire carpet was saturated. Had she forgotten to turn off the bath water? No— but it didn't matter. Light Yagami was about to make love to her. The bed would be warm and dry. Nevertheless, an acknowledging comment managed to surface underneath her broken breaths. "…It's… wet…"

Apparently, Light was oblivious to the water on the floor. His interpretation of her words was buried in a deep gutter. "And soon, I'll be quenching my thirst with it. I'll swim in your essence and shower you with my own."

His words made her melt. This was her favorite fantasy— the perfect moment with the perfect man. Light Yagami was her ultimate wet dream. She loved him enough to tell him in first person. "I love you, Light!" She began planting kisses all over his chest, playing special attention to his hardening nipples.

Light held back his head as his breath quickened. "I love you too, Misa— goddess of my perfect world." Misa moved her mouth up to Light's, kissing him with enough heated passion to quickly warm her chilled body. She moaned in his mouth as she indulged in the passionate kiss. It was so real— so perfect. His tongue greeted hers with an urgent— almost violent— passion. Misa was in a state of pure bliss. It wasn't long before Light was removing her lacey black bra and panties— guiding her over to the bed.

Light picked Misa up and placed her on the sheets of silk with a swan's grace. In what seemed like a moment without the rules of time, Light rested on top of her and gently sucked on her neck. The only thing left to be removed was Light's pants. Misa couldn't have been happier in heaven. "Light…" Her hands trailed down to unzip Light's pants as he continued kissing and caressing her. The steam was still pouring into the bedroom from the bath. The entire room was soon covered in a dense fog of condensation. It only added to the cold wetness of the room.

Her lover shivered at the sound of the name. His body tensed up slightly, but relaxed again as he went in for another kiss. Though the passion was still heavy and heated, his tongue play was more sensual than his previous kisses. As soon as he pulled away, a name escaped his lips. "…Raine…"

Misa tried to catch her breath, her eyes still closed. "R— rain? It's not raining, is it?" Misa suddenly almost choked. _'That… voice…'_ Her eyes shot open. Her lover had pulled away. Misa's arms had been positioned by her side. His feet were holding her wrists down as he perched over her— his weight slowly numbing her arms. She couldn't move them. What horrified her more than anything was the realization that it wasn't her dearly beloved Light Yagami sitting on top of her.

"Ryuzaki!" Misa screamed at the top of her lungs! She kicked her legs up franticly, determined to get him off of her. No matter how much she kneed and kicked, she couldn't get the leverage she needed to strike him. Exposed and embarrassed, Misa projected her anger to keep from crying. Once again, she slipped out of third person. "Get off of me, you pervert!"

L sat like bullfrog on a log. His large dark eyes studied her in silence. The smile that had always succeeded in creeping Misa out slowly appeared on his face. He looked beyond amused. It made Misa want to kill him all over again. "Is there something wrong, Misa Amane? If you're having trouble removing my pants, I'll be more than happy to assist you."

"W-wh- no! Don't you da—"

— Too late. His pants had literally faded off of him. Misa's eyes grew as large as golf balls as she took in the fully nude L. She couldn't bring herself to say anything. Every time she thought a word was about to surface, she'd choke on empty air. L nonchalantly stretched his arms out and faded off of her— only to reappear at the foot of the bed. Misa immediately bolted up and pulled the covers over herself. "You bastard! Misa has never felt so violated! This is a nightmare!"

L shrugged, noting the fact that Misa's eyes wouldn't stop tracing his body. They always managed to stop on his manhood, only to quickly dart away. "Misa… if my memory serves me correctly, you were welcoming every single one of my advances."

Misa struggled to speak. "N-no Misa was— you were supposed to be Light! You tricked Misa!"

"Perhaps I did— or perhaps somewhere, deep in your unconscious, you actually have a desire to be with me. It's _your_ dream." L's voice remained monotone. He didn't appear even slightly sorry.

"No! Misa hates you, Ryuzaki! Misa is glad Rem killed you! You were Kira's number one enemy!" She grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. "And put some clothes on, you pervert!"

L blinked with no expression. Very slowly, a white shirt and jeans materialized over his body. "For the record, Misa Amane, I wasn't pulled into the illusion of Light Yagami willingly. Despite the fact that you claim to be whole heartedly in love with Light, something is strongly lacking in your relationship with him— something that's creating a void of uncertainty. You subconsciously felt my presence the moment I entered your realm of dreams. You used my entity to fill in the holes of your perfect illusion without even realizing it. There was no reason for me to fight it. Your scent and flavor are different, but your shape is similar to _hers_— despite the fact that I highly dislike you— perhaps even _despise_ you. Besides…" L looked like he was holding back a yawn. "I had to see what your reaction would be. I've always enjoyed torturing you— literally."

Misa couldn't stop glaring at him. "Now Misa knows this isn't real! Misa's shape is similar to _hers_? There's no way Ryuzaki could have ever had a girlfriend, unless she was a disgusting freak like he was."

The comment made L glare right back at her. "The only 'disgusting freak' I've ever touched is you, Misa Amane."

Misa gawked at him before trying to make a witty comeback. "Ooooo… did Misa hit a nerve? Maybe Misa should find Ryuzaki's 'girlfriend' and tell her you're cheating on her! What do you think of that, pervert?"

L's eye twitched slightly. It was the one thing his anger and resentment of the Kiras had not allowed him to think of. Even if it _was_ just a dream, the entire scenario that had just played out would have broken Raine's heart. He tried to explain it away, with some small hope of comforting himself. "My unity with my mate is very different from a typical marriage under human law. Though I will forever be joined with her by heart and soul, we are under no physical obligations to limit ourselves only to each other— mainly while one of us is lying dormant." Of course, Misa had no idea what L was talking about.

As Onasisk had once briefly mentioned to L, elemental vows were said under the assumption that each party would last for centuries. In order to keep the unity strong and out of chaos, there would be times when breaks were needed— particularly when one was in the recovery state. It would have seemed unhealthy to a regular human; but to a spirit, it was necessary. It was the norm. Even knowing that, however; it bothered L —until he remembered something else. "My contact with you was little more than an illusion. In reality, I'm doing little more than touching your closed eyelids. Nothing else is real. In fact, I could kill you were you sit right now, and it wouldn't be real. You would still wake up tomorrow morning without so much as a bruise. My heart is loyal to its master and that will never change. I have nothing to regret."

With that, L was perched on Misa's bed again— only inches away from her scowling face. He swore he could see her cheeks flushing. "Tell me, Misa Amane— where are the notebooks." L traced Misa'a bottom lip with his thumb. Surprisingly, she didn't try to pull away. He repeated his question in a whisper. "The notebooks, Amane— where are they?"

Misa remained silent. There was no way she was going to tell him. She wasn't about to rat on Light. L edged closer to her, until there was less than an inch separating their lips. It almost appeared as though they would start kissing again— though L's tone killed the idea. "My life was taken from me because of you— as was Watari's. You will tell me where the notebooks are or you will drown in this room."

Misa was still not talking, but her breathing was increasing. She could feel a strange sexual tension overcoming her. She hated everything about it, but it was there. Her continued silence was met with L fulfilling his promise. The room very quickly began to fill up with ice cold water. In only minutes, it had reached the same level as the bed. "I don't have to do this, Misa. I promise you, you will not wake up until you've _felt_ death. I was unfortunate enough to be buried alive in a dream once. I assure you, this won't be pleasant." Onasisk had once pulled L underground in a dream. The feeling of suffocation had then skewed L's concept of dream and reality.

Misa responded by digging her nails into L's shoulders. She was now waist deep in water. "You're an evil, sadistic creep!"

"_Sadistic_—should I be surprised you know that word?" Though he wasn't sure what caused it, a sudden impulse had violently pushed him into Misa's lips. It was the same force that had merged him into the original illusion of Light Yagami. L apparently didn't have full control over himself in another person's dreams. He could only think clearly enough to deduce that Misa was still having a warped sort of erotic dream, despite the fact that she was about to _drown_. They were both chest deep in water. L managed to pull away from Misa long enough to speak again. "I'm 99% certain you actually enjoyed my earlier kisses, otherwise this present situation wouldn't be in play. Has _he_ never kissed you in such a way? Has he never truly showed you sincere affection? Why would you want to keep dirty little secrets for a man who doesn't truly want you? Tell me where they are."

Misa tried to catch her breath. "Go to hell, Ryuzaki! If Misa is going to die, then Misa will go out feeling desired! Misa is not going to die lonely and frustrated!" She forced herself on him again, practically shoving her tongue down his throat. She made sure to say Light's name whenever she'd break a kiss. L accepted it for what it was, but didn't go out of his way to return the angry affection. Misa Amane meant nothing to him. She was beautiful on the outside, but she was a horrid creature on the inside. To L, she was a _thing_. He had seen every part of her— her body, her desires, her obsessions and her bad habits. He had even seen her defecate in a toilet. What more was there to see? He had watched her on surveillance cameras day and night in the past, and now he was just plain bored.

When the water was too high for her to kiss him any longer, Misa groped the area she had been so enthralled with when L was nude. L made sure he didn't feel her advance. He had already reverted back to water form. As he watched the water rapidly rise to the ceiling, L began to realize that the darkest part of his soul was showing its ugly face. His actions were despicable— no different from a stunt that Onasisk or Beyond Birthday would pull. The anger that had consumed him shortly after leaving his human body had returned with full force. He wanted both Misa and Light to feel his wrath— and there wasn't anything that could tame that desire. Just as Taramik had said, L no longer had a human body to shield his raw emotions. He was going to have to learn self control all over again.

The water had reached the ceiling, and Misa could no longer come up for a breath of air. In less than two minutes, she was dead— her lifeless body fading away. L was automatically thrown out of Misa's dream when she abruptly awoke in a pool of sweat. She sat up in the bed, panting heavily. The conclusion of her night terror had sent L flying backward. He rested in the corner without giving Misa so much as a glance. She could no longer see him, so it didn't matter.

Misa Amane rested her head on her knees and rocked back and forth in her bed. Once she felt she had gained her composure, she picked up the cell phone on the night stand and dialed Light's number.

"Hello, Light? It's Misa." Her voice sounded tired and weak.

Light Yagami sighed loudly into the phone. "What do you want, Misa? You know I'm a very busy man."

"I had a bad dream. When are you coming home?" She sounded like a whimpering child.

"Misa, I don't have time for this. Just take a couple of sleeping pills and leave the light on. I'll be home in a few days." Light cut off the call before Misa could reply.

All Misa could do was continue to hug her knees and cry. She wanted Light to be there so he could hold her, or at the very least, say a few comforting words. She certainly didn't feel like the goddess of a new world.

* * *

**I think this is L's dark side at it's absolute worse. I really can see this being more of a Beyond Birthday shinanigan than L. Given his feelings in previous chapters however, i think his behavior fits here. You'll see it in at least one more dream tap— followed by a period when he gradually overcomes his anger and comes to a peaceful acceptance of what is and what isn't. See you guys next dream!**


	6. Candy Land

**A/N: Another short chapter. After the dark and twisted mood of the last chapter, I thought I would write one a little more light-hearted (for the most part). It doesn't really advance the plot line any, so I'm considering it a filler.** ** Just a quick note that L will be referred to as 'Adian' in most of this chapter.**

* * *

As the world's greatest detective, L had witnessed his fair share of heart breaking scenes in the short time he was amongst the living. Images of rotting and mangled corpses had been an everyday norm for L to see. Though he always appeared indifferent to the concept of pain and loss; there was one scenario that always tugged at his emotions— the image of a mourning child who had lost everything. Perhaps it was because it hit so close to home for him. It wasn't a feeling he had ever completely understood, but it had always been there nonetheless.

Determined to survey the extent of damage that Light had caused since that stormy night five years ago, L sought out Wedy and Aiber. He had a hunch that they had fallen victim to the Death Note, but he wouldn't be satisfied until he confirmed it. He decided the most practical thing to do would be to pay a visit to Aiber's wife and son. Even if Aiber was away on business, the atmosphere of the household would be enough to determine where Aiber stood in the world of the living.

Aiber's child, Bryant, had been six years old when he and his mother found his father's lifeless body in the living room. From everything L knew about Aiber, he had a very close relationship with his son; despite the fact that he spent so much time traveling. Aiber often boasted about being able to take his son on camping trips every week because he didn't have to worry about holding down a regular job— though Aiber had never really struck L as the outdoors type. Aiber would travel quite a bit during winter months— entertaining his mistresses, working for L and coning his living— but his time during the summers had always belonged to Bryant. He couldn't be called the world's greatest dad by any means, but Aiber had loved his son.

Bryant was now 10 years old, but he wasn't the happy-go-lucky child that Aiber had always described. L stood undetected in the boy's room as he observed the boy angrily throwing a baseball up at the ceiling. The walls were covered with newspaper clippings about a television show known as 'Kira's Kingdom'. Pictures of Kira's 'spokesperson' bore dart holes and red X's. Doodles of fire, nooses and switchblades slaughtered each image. "Demegawa… figures." L immediately recognized the man in the photos as the director— or _former_ director— of Sakura TV. _'I highly doubt Light will allow him to live much longer. Demegawa doesn't even come close to fitting the description of a 'Kira approved' citizen.'_

L's eyes darted back and forth across the black print of the articles as he listened to the _thump_ of the ball hitting the ceiling repeatedly. It wasn't until the sound stopped that L turned his attention away from the newspaper clippings. L glanced over at the boy on the bed, who hadn't bothered to catch his ball on its last trip down. Bryant was completely silent. His eyes never left the ceiling. L tilted his head curiously as his eyes caught sight of a framed photograph on the boy's dresser. It was a colored photo of Aiber and Bryant posing in their backyard. Bryant didn't appear to be any older than 4 in the picture. Aiber had stuck his tongue out for the camera and Bryant had his cheeks puffed out like a blowfish.

The little boy in the photo seemed so much more alive than the boy on the bed. L had to look at the photo twice to make sure that it was in fact the same boy. The 10 year old Bryant remained silent as he stared at the ceiling. After half an hour had passed, L began getting bored. Bryant didn't show any indication of moving any time soon; nor did he show any signs of drowsiness. It was safe to say Aiber was dead— and if Aiber had died by Kira's hand, there was very little chance that Wedy was still alive. L had no reason to stay any longer. Something was nagging at him, however. No matter how many times L attempted to leave, he couldn't fight his urge to stay.

L battled his indecisiveness long enough to catch the tow headed boy dozing off. He bit madly on his thumb as his thoughts raced. _'I have no reason to dream tap this child— absolutely no reason. I'll find little more than angst in his dreams.' _ L still couldn't make himself leave. _'Even so, it's still possible to pick at the 'good' dreams. The most pleasant dream for an adult most often involves a sexual encounter, but for a 10 year old…'_ The more he thought about it, L knew there was no way he could pass up the dream tap. _'What do children dream about? A wealth of toys and freedom from parental restrictions— but most importantly they dream about an endless supply of…' _ L's excitement was growing. _'I have to! It must be done!'_

* * *

Bryant found himself walking in a world of thick fog. No matter which way he turned, all he could see was heavy white mist. The only thing that gave him any sense of direction was the sound of a young boy crying for help in the distance. He ran toward the voice until it was loud and clear enough to be within reaching distance. What finally stopped him was the sudden fall to the ground. Bryant had tripped over something big enough to be a boulder— or a person. The small boulder grunted in pain. Bryant struggled to get back on his feet. Unsure of whether to be apologetic or angry, Bryant cautiously approached the small boy that had been crying for help— the child that had almost caused him to break his neck.

The child was curled up in a half fetal position, holding his chest in pain. He looked several years younger than Bryant. In fact, the boy with the dark— almost black— eyes and jet black hair couldn't have been any older than 4 or 5. Seeing that the boy was in obvious distress, Bryant no longer hesitated. "Hey… kid. I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. I heard you calling for help. What's wrong? What happened?" He leaned down and attempted to help the child up. He could hear the child slightly sobbing.

"M-my chest… it hurts! Please… help me! It hurts!" The boy looked up at Bryant with pleading eyes.

Bryant managed to pry the child's hands away from his chest, but there was no wound. He had no idea what to do, so he started to scream for help— though he knew it was unlikely anyone could hear him. He felt the boy take his hand and squeeze it. "Please… take me away from here. Take me to a happier place. I don't want to die here."

Bryant could feel tears forming in his eyes. "I-I don't know how to get out of here! Even if I did, I don't know where I would take you!"

"Dream… This is _your_ dream. If you imagine it, it will appear before you."

"But this is where I always end up in my dreams! I don't know how to—"

"Just think. It isn't that hard." Bryant almost swore he saw the child rolling his eyes at him.

Biting his bottom lip, Bryant closed his eyes and thought of the happiest place his imagination could muster. "Happy place… happy place… happy place…"

When he opened his eyes again, Bryant found himself standing in the middle of an amusement park. Though it lacked employees and park guests, the rides and food stands were lit up brightly and ready to go. He noted the boy with the black messy hair was also there, though he no longer looked as though he was in distress. The kid actually looked disappointed. "I was actually hoping you would picture an ice cream store… but I guess this will do."

Bryant narrowed his eyes slightly as he studied the preschooler. He wasn't sure if he liked the kid's attitude. "So… why were you crying for help earlier? Why am I even dreaming about you? I've never seen you before."

The boy in the oversized baggy jeans and white t-shirt stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked up at the sky that wasn't there. He slightly blew upward in an attempt to clear the hair away from his eyes. "You'll have to forgive my manners. I am only a child, after all— and I don't have any parents to educate me about the concept of politeness."

Bryant was still unsure of the whole situation. Though he was several years older (not to mention several inches taller) than the unnamed boy was, he tried to stand as straight as possible in attempt to make himself look more intimidating. "You don't _talk_ like a child. I'm a lot older than you and _I_ don't talk like that. What's your name, anyway? I need to call you something other than 'kid'."

The small trace of a smile appeared at the corners of the boy's mouth. "My name is Adian." Adian raised his index finger to his lip. "You are Bryant, correct?"

"Y-yeah. And… you're just a random kid that my mind made up. Right? You never answered my question. Why were you screaming for help?"

"Truth be known, I have a hard time assuming this shape without unpleasant memories resurfacing. My memory of pain is apparently what causes me to still feel it. When you first saw me— my chest felt like a sword was stabbing through it. In fact, it still hurts; though the degree of pain has lifted significantly since our arrival here."

Bryant shook his head. "You're going to have to stop talking like a wacked out teacher if you want me to understand what you're saying."

"Forgive me. I forget I'm not having a conversation with a Wammy orphan. I shall try hard to water down my vocabulary and sentence structure."

"Ooookay. Well, you're obviously okay now. Did you say you didn't have any parents?"

"That's correct. They're dead. My mother and father were murdered. My adoptive father was murdered as well. Somehow, I always seem to bring death and misfortune to everyone around me."

Bryant suddenly took a few steps back. It seemed odd to Bryant that Adian had lost not only his original parents, but an adoptive one as well. Either this kid had a horrible stroke of bad luck or— "Di-did you— no. _You_ couldn't have murdered them. You're just a little kid."

"No. It wasn't me, directly. A mad man murdered my parents in a fit of jealousy. _I_ was part of that jealousy. My foster father was killed… by Kira." Adian kept his last thought to himself. _'—though I was the one who delivered him into Kira's hands—as I did with your father.'_

The expression on Bryant's face was a mixture of shock and anger. "Kira…" Bryant began to grit his teeth together. "That devil killed your father? We've got something in common, kid. He killed mine too."

Adian's index finger returned to his bottom lip. "You don't say. Well then, it really _is_ a small world after all." Adian tilted his head curiously. "You look upset. Have I said something wrong?" Adian tried to give him a puppy dog look with his huge dark eyes. It apparently worked.

The anger on Bryant's face slowly began to soften as he continued to study Adian. Adian knew Bryant's pain, just as Bryant knew his. "No. No, you haven't said anything wrong. I tell you what, why don't we walk around this place and see what sort of stuff we can find to get into?"

Adian perked up a little. "Sounds like a pleasant experience, only…" He looked down and drew lines in the dirt with his big toe as he trailed off.

"Only what?"

"Well, it's just…"

"Well, come on. Spit it out, kid." Bryant looked like he was getting irritated. Adian found it amusing that Bryant was still calling him 'kid', despite the fact that he had asked his name so he wouldn't have to do such.

Adian looked up slowly at the ten year old. "I'm very hungry." The 'puppy dog eye' routine went into play again.

"That's no problem. There's plenty of hot dog stands around here."

Adian didn't look satisfied. "Actually, I don't really like hot dogs. I suppose I could go for cotton candy, only it normally makes my mouth really dry. It's really too bad there's no candy store or ice cream shop— or a bakery." Hands still in pockets, Adian poked his lip out slightly and turned his attention to his feet.

Bryant sighed at Adian's pouting. Adian was an annoying and demanding little brat in his eyes, but he was also a victim. Adian was a victim, just as he was. "I normally don't have any control over my dreams, but I was able to create this amusement park just by thinking of it. Maybe I can create another place."

Adian perked up. "Indeed. This is a lucid dream— _your _lucid dream. That of course means that you're the only one who can set the scenery." Adian smirked slightly. "If you wanted to, you could create a world made of nothing but sweets. Chocolate cake, gum drops, cookies, strawberry filled marshmallows, jelly beans, peanut butter cups— you could be king of your very own candy land."

"I guess that'd be cool, but—"

Bryant's amusement park was starting to transform into an entirely different scene. Adian's mention of a 'candy land' had already planted the image in Bryant's mind. Gumdrop trees and cupcake bushes started popping up everywhere. A wall of giant lollipops began to rise up around them. The entire scenery was turning into junk food. Even the ground had turned into a thick layer of green icing. Within the lollipop walls stood the two children. Bryant studied his creation with a smile of satisfaction. Adian's eyes were so wide; they could have taken up his entire face. Adian couldn't find any words at first, but a single tear of joy trickled down his face. He struggled to catch his breath— trying hard not to cry. "… This is… I've never… It's just… I've never seen anything so… beautiful… there really is… a heaven…"

Little Adian suddenly fell down to his knees and sank his hands into the green frosting. He pulled up a fist full and shoved it into his mouth— his eyes almost rolled back into his head in pleasure. "Mmmm… yes…oh my—… yes!" Adian little voice was talking like a grown man ready to climax. He licked his fingers slowly, as if he were trying to be sensual with a lover— all the while moaning in a twisted state of ecstasy. When he saw the white chocolate table— covered with all of his favorite desserts, the child started to laugh. It started out small and quite, but quickly grew into a mad cackle. Bryant stood by and watched the preschooler seemingly lose his mind in silent awe.

Adian eagerly made his way to the table and perched in one of the soft marshmallow chairs. He could feel himself sinking into it slightly, but it didn't matter. He grabbed the vase full of candy flowers with marshmallow cream in the middle and nibbled on the red strawberry flavored petals. After devouring every flower (along with the hardened caramel vase), Adian indulged in a chocolate cake smothered in cherry sauce. He took huge samples of everything on the table. All the while he ate, Adian continued his moaning. Little Adian could eat as much as he wanted. It wasn't like he had a real body to tell him when he was full. The food itself wasn't even real. What he was tasting were little more than his own memories. The memory of taste was priceless to spirits. As long as they never forgot the taste of something, they could relate it to illusions of food. Illusions didn't possess the same great quality taste of _real _food, but it was close enough.

After a seemingly very long time had passed, Adian finally acknowledged that Bryant was still there. "My friend, you have a superb imagination. I can't think you enough for your hospitality. The only thing missing is the chocolate lake."

"Don't you think that's a little too much? There's no room for a lake."

"You could always make room. I'll supply the water if you can turn it into chocolate."

Bryant studied their surroundings— looking doubtful. "No. Sorry, but I just can't picture it."

Adian suddenly frowned, though it was hard to see it with all of the icing and chocolate that now covered his face. "I suppose I can exist without it."

Bryant was quickly getting bored. He liked sweets just as much as the next kid, but Adian's behavior was quickly making him lose his craving for it. He couldn't quit telling himself how weird the child was. "Umm… so why did Kira kill your adoptive dad? Was he a criminal?"

Adian's eyes slowly moved up to the boy who was sitting across from him. Much to Bryant's surprise, Adian actually put his cupcake down— half eaten. "He died because he was trying to help catch Kira." Adian looked down at the table. "He died working under L."

Bryant kept a straight face. "My mom keeps telling me Dad died of natural causes, but I know better. I heard Dad talking to someone on the phone about helping with the Kira case the day before he left for Japan. I think _he_ was helping L too. At the very least, he was helping the Japanese police. That's why Kira killed him."

Bryant apparently knew little— if anything— about Aiber's connections to L. L wondered if Bryant knew if his father had been the world's top con artist. He considered asking; but in the end, decided it would be best not to go that route. "Is that why you appear so disconnected— because of your father's death? Are you thirsty for revenge?" L already knew the answer, but he had to ask in order to get to the point.

"Aren't _you_ disconnected too? Who wants to grow up in a world ruled by Kira? This detective that calls himself 'L'— he's been chasing Kira for over six years and still has nothing to show for it. I keep growing older, and Kira's power keeps growing with me. It's said that Kira started out killing only the world's most dangerous criminals. I wouldn't know because I was too young back then to know or care about what was going on in the world. Even so, now that he's closure to becoming a human god, he's killing petty criminals who have yet to even stand trial. That fat Demegawa man was on TV just the other day talking about the death of a kid my age in Japan. He was caught stealing a fleece blanket from a department store— a runaway living in the cold streets. He was 11 years old!"

Adian tilted his head. "I'm a little surprised Kira would even bother following cases as small as that. If the boy was from Japan, there's a good chance Kira happened to be in the same store at the time of the crime. It could have been the work of _another _Kira. Or…" Adian stuffed a bite of shortcake into his mouth. "Mmm… or perhaps the child was used to test something." Adian quickly shook his head before taking another huge bite of cake. "Actually, scratch all of that. Given what I know, I'm more inclined to think the death of the boy was fabricated —meant to inflict more fear into an already defeated society. It was probably Demegawa's idea. It's simply a preview of things to come once Kira has claimed supreme rule and the population has been weeded. The boy's death was a lie."

Bryant gave a slight glare. "Even so, Kira is still evil; and so are all the people who support him."

"Fear and ignorance are evil, and those are the two elements that win over his supporters. Those who aren't manipulated by such are very few. It's been that way since the beginning of history. Though the human species has evolved significantly since the time of the first man; those core elements continue to be effective among the human psyche. To defeat them is the only true way to win the game."

"I hate all of them."

"Then you hate humanity."

Adian jumped slightly as Bryant's fist pounded onto the table. "You talk like you know so much! You're just a little bratty kid!"

Looking completely unmoved, Adian continued stuffing cake into his mouth. "Hmm. I suppose there's truth to that. Not to be pushy, but do you think you could at least _try _to make a chocolate lake?"

Bryant had had enough of the small child's silly demands. "Why don't I just wish this entire place away? I'd be more than happy to take you back to the fog."

"I don't think you would."

"Watch me!"

Adian picked up a jelly bean with his thumb and index finger. He held his head back and dropped it in his mouth before replying. "Even if you did take me back to the world of fog, it wouldn't make any difference. I _am_ the fog, after all. The only one who would feel lost would be you."

"Oh yeah? Well I can at least take away your stupid cake!" As soon as Bryant closed his eyes, Adian's heaven began to slowly vanish.

Adian turned on his sad eyes. All of his goodies were gone. "Now, that's just not fair."

They were in an empty parking lot. Bryant took in his new surroundings with a satisfied look— his blue eyes beaming. Adian sighed heavily. "Your rage runs just as deep as my own. Kira has defeated us both."

Bryant's face turned sour again. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Tell me something, Bryant. Do you believe your father cared about your happiness? What about Kira? Does he care if you're happy?

"What are you getting at, kid?" Bryant's fists were balled tightly.

Adian's dark hollow eyes locked onto Bryant's. Rather than answer the question, Adian asked another one. "If Kira never existed, do you think you would be a different person than you are now?"

"My dad would still be alive!"

"Your father's death was honorable. He sacrificed himself as a soldier of humanity— a soldier of the very thing you now seem to despise. Everyone wants to live in a perfect world— one with no crime, illness, or pain. It's human nature. You're disconnected because what you once thought of as your _own_ perfect world was torn away from you by a monster with no face. If you have lost all hope in humanity just because your world is no longer what you want it to be, then your ambitions will soon follow the same road as Kira's. You will do whatever it takes to find some piece of the world you lost— even if it means giving up your _own_ humanity in the process. You're slowly losing all the qualities your father gave his life trying to protect."

Bryant didn't completely understand what Adian was trying to say. His words were too complex. Adian might as well have been reciting a riddle. Bryant tried to shake away his developing headache— wondering how it was possible to develop one in a dream. "Are you saying that's why Kira is doing this— because he's trying to find a world he lost?"

"Not at all. Kira already had his own perfect world— he was just bored with it. Think hard about the things that motivate you— about the things you've lost and the things you still have. Is your dead father all there is? Will you fight against Kira because of a personal vendetta over something that cannot be undone, or will you fight Kira to maintain the humanity in this world that he has yet to take away?"

"I— still don't understand." Bryant was starting to look like he wanted to cry. He was confused.

Adian had to remind himself that Bryant was only a child. He broke his dead stare and closed his eyes. "You are a child who has lost something sacred— no different than the child you see standing here before you. That doesn't mean it's over, Bryant. You have to stay focused on the things that bring you happiness, and protect them— your living mother, for example. So long as you know how to create cake, your compassion will flavor it— rather than be forgotten. You can interpret that however you wish. And… you might even find a piece of yourself in something bigger— such as a chocolate lake. It could be a small lake. I'd be happy with a small pond at this point."

Somehow, the mention of the chocolate lake made Bryant laugh. Adian had thrown it in at such a serious moment, as a hidden effort to get what he was craving. At that moment— as he watched Bryant laugh, Adian could see the same little boy he had seen in the photograph. He knew that little Bryant had not disappeared. He was simply lost in all of the fog. Grinning childishly, Adian stuffed his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "I see you still have your laughter. That within itself gives you more hope than I ever had. I wish you luck. Please, take care of yourself." Adian turned to leave after giving Bryant a slight nod, but then stopped. "You're really not going to make that lake, are you?"

Bryant's eyes perked up in amusement as he shook his head. "Not a chance."

Adian flashed one last childish smile before switching to a more serious face. "I'm… sorry." Adian was apologizing for Aiber's death, though Bryant didn't know it. The only reason Kira had discovered Aiber was because L had recruited him to show his face. Now that he had met Aiber's child, Adian—L— felt a pain in his heart. It was the one thing that could always tug at his emotions— the image of a mourning child. Young Bryant was a victim of both Kira and L. His world had been shattered because two childish geniuses had decided to start a game that could have no winners. Adian knew that his words to Bryant weren't really inspiring— nor did they really necessarily make a lot of sense. He had never been someone who had a talent for comforting people. Adian gave a one final nod and slowly faded out of Bryant's dream.

L stood over the sleeping boy and silently thanked him for the junk food. He may have felt bad about Aiber's death and the effect it had on Bryant; but he had no regrets about coaxing Bryant into making Candy land. With his trip to 'heaven' out of the way, L focused on his other goals. He had already wasted too much time. L still had more dream taps to do; but first he wanted to find Ryuk. He was ready to meet the Shinigami who had started it all. Ryuk was the observer who expected to be entertained—the typical immortal, bored with eternity. Ryuk was L's key to finding the notebooks. The hard part would be getting him to cooperate.

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**We'll see Ryuk in the next chapter! Matsuda and Aizawa will also be making an appearance very soon. L needs to quit fooling around and get down to business! Thanks for the reviews and thanks for reading! I know this is a Death Note fanfiction that's really just sort of 'out there.' I still haven't succeeded in bringing L completely back to his old self. I realize that the more I go back and read all of this— but how can you really make someone just the way they were when they go through something as significant and traumatizing as their own death? They have to change at least a little after such an experience, I would imagine. *shrugs* See you next chapter! =)**


	7. Death's Presence

**A/N: I know that the words _shinigami_ and _reaper_ mean exactly the same thing. In fact, that's how the English translation of the manga refers to the shinigamis. For the purpose of this story however, I am making them two different entities. This chapter is super short. That seems to be the norm for this story right now, due to my lack of writing time. I hope everyone likes this chapter. i promise it isn't pointless like the last chapter was! ^_^**

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It didn't take long to find Ryuk. In fact, Ryuk actually foundhim first. All L had to do was visit his own burial site. He originally intended to stop at his grave out of respect for Raine. She had been pulled into his grave, after all. Though he knew that her soul was safe in their own world— and Raine's body had fully decomposed into soil— he couldn't fight his desire to pay his respects to the soil that had once been her body. It was awkward standing over his own grave— knowing that the body he had once taken for granted was now little more than dirt— buried under more dirt.

As L stood over the grave of his former life, he began mourning Raine— and the life that they would never have the chance to live. Though he knew that they would be reunited one day, L couldn't overcome his grief. They could always return to the human world at a later time and attempt to live amongst the living once more, but living as a human was always a gamble for elements. There was always a 50-50 chance they would die along with their body once its lifespan ran out— and human elemental weren't known for having long lifespans. It was actually very common of the elements to choose to live as humans as a way of committing suicide. Very rare did a spirit ever wish to exist past 2000 years. Once an element had burned out on immortality, they usually spent the rest of their days in a living body, with no intention of escaping it once death greeted them. It was an attitude very similar to what Raine had displayed before her human body perished. L hung his head down low. _'Even if we decided to return, it would be decades before we both had the strength to do it. With Raine, it could be over a century. The human world as we know it wouldn't be the same— nor would any of our friends and allies still be alive. We once had everything we needed to flourish in society_— _upon our return, we will have nothing. Regardless, I know we'll walk amongst the living again one day. In fact, it seems almost unavoidable. We'll eventually lose all memories of touch, taste and smell if we don't.'_

L was beginning to yearn for Raine. He wanted to see her in her human form again. He wanted to touch her— taste her. His yearning was cut abruptly short. As he closed his eyes and pictured Raine's features, L suddenly felt a familiar heaviness. It felt as though the gravity around him had suddenly increased to a disturbing level. L knew exactly what it was. It was the presence of death. Most wouldn't think the presence of death in a cemetery as unusual, but L knew that death never lingered around for long after a body became a corpse. There was something else in the cemetery. L was sure of that. The sound of footsteps could be heard in the distance. L quickly perched on top of the cross that marked his own grave— on full alert. It gave him the appearance of an oversized crow; though no living creature could actually see him.

The clouds above gathered at an unnatural pace as Light Yagami approached the resting place of his former opponent. L glared at the angry young man, who was now kicking up dirt— not even taking notice of the laughing shinigami that stood behind him. Light Yagami was clearly upset about something— upset enough to take it out on the dead. "You think you're so damn clever, don't you? You think that just because you've got a couple of rip-off versions of yourself running around, you've still got a chance of winning this game!" Light spit on the cross that L perched on. "You're a damn fool, Ryuzaki! You'll never defeat Kira! Mello and Near are pathetic versions of a defeated dead man! Do you hear me down there, Ryuzaki? I'll bury them both in the dirt so they can rot— just like you're doing right now! I am the new God of this world! Very soon, no one will walk this earth that doesn't have my permission!"

Light screamed as he violently continued to kick at the dirt. The whole while, Ryuk laughed hysterically. Light gritted his teeth in anger. "You think this is funny, Ryuk?"

The forever smiling shinigami's eyes glowed red in the dark. "He's watching you right now."

Not immediately knowing who Ryuk was talking about, Light spun around in circles trying to find the face that was spying on him. Was it one of Near's people? Mello?" Light made sure not to reply to Ryuk's comment, just in case someone was really there. He stiffened in front of L's graved and bowed his head— listening for the slightest sound of life amongst the tombs. The weather had taken an unexpected bad turn. The only thing Light could hear was the thunder above. The clouds had blocked out what little day light the early evening still offered. The cemetery was eerily dark.

L sat perched on his tombstone in silence. Though he knew Ryuk could see him, L had yet to make an attempt to interact with him. He continued to study Light in silence as the rain started to fall. _'Light Yagami truly is gone. The power of the Death Note has completely taken over mind.' _The angry scene that Light had displayed at L's grave had made L actually pity Light. _'Everyone has a dark side— a side that no one else wants the world to see. One of life's biggest challenges is not letting that dark side take over. Light Yagami at one time seemed to have his dark side under control. I know that much from what I observed in the month before we apprehended Higuchi. Though he still held himself in higher esteem than most, he also valued the life of others. He valued the safety of his family. Had he never picked up the Death Note, would he have ever allowed the worse side of him to take control?'_ L tensed up on his perch. _'What would have happened if I had been the one who picked up the Death Note? Would I have lost myself as well?'_

L turned his attention to Ryuk, who was fidgeting around as if he were dying to say something to the dead detective. "I see you're itching to talk to me, Ryuk. Why not go ahead and say it? You can't possibly care if Light hears you. You've already informed him of my presence." Ryuk's failure to respond made L change his focus to a small oddity— one he had noticed when he first felt the presence of death. L had previously felt the presence of Ryuk outside of Soichiro Yagami's hospital room, but it hadn't been anywhere near as strong as what he was feeling now. The presence of death was much heavier this time— too strong to come from one spirit alone. L wondered if there was another presence hiding somwehere. Perhaps it was the reason Ryuk wasn't speaking.

The sudden downpour of the rain created the perfect backdrop to L's sudden idea. He wanted to play tricks on Light— just as he had played on Misa. He brought the tips of his thumb and index finger together and pulled his hand back. It was a focusing technique to extract the water out of a body. L had not forgotten about the first time he had pulled water out of Light's body. His anger had caused him to do it without even realizing it. As soon as Light began licking his lips to keep them moist, L suddenly had another childish idea— a much _better_ idea. _'I'll accept my punishment for making myself known, Taramik. I'm afraid I just can't pass up this opportunity.'_ He waited until lightning lit up the sky before he made himself visible to the human eye. "Hello, Light. How nice of you to visit."

Light's mouth dropped open in shock. He couldn't turn away and run. He was too shocked at what he was seeing— and hearing. L looked like a dark gargoyle perched on his tombstone. The darkness of the storm was the perfect backdrop to perfect the ghostly outline. "Well… was there anything else you needed to say to me? I'm all ears." L bit his thumb and smiled as he looked down at the man who was frozen in fear. L decided to add to the fun by slowly fading away from sight. It took Light another 30 seconds before he found it in him to move again. He backed away slowly at first, as if still trying to register what had just happened. It quickly gave way to a desperate run. Light was running to the cemetery gate as fast as his legs could carry him— not even bothering to look back to see that Ryuk wasn't budging. L slowly stood up on the arms of the cross and stretched. "Does it really take a man that long to realize he's standing in a downpour with no umbrella?"

Just as L had expected, Ryuk had stayed behind, laughing and hacking like a chronic chain smoker. Through his fits of laughter, Ryuk finally managed to speak. "Finally, the one with a sense of humor is back! I was starting to get so bored!" L hopped down from his perch and shoved his hands into his illusionary pockets— slowly making his way over to the death spirit. "I assume there's no need for an introduction. You were with Light from the very beginning of this case— that is, up until his confinement."

Ryuk finally managed to stop laughing. "I knew something was unique about you when I saw two names over your head, but I never would have guessed you were an elemental. It's finally starting to get interesting again!"

L narrowed his eyes a little as he studied the monster that stood in front of him. "Congratulations. You're a lot more horrid looking than the other one was."

"What's my prize?"

L answered dryly. "It isn't a make-over, I'm afraid."

"You know you're not supposed to show yourself to humans like that. It's against spiritual law."

"That doesn't seem to stop _you_."

"I'm only visible to those who touch a Death Note. It isn't my fault they can see me."

"How long do you intend to let Light use those notebooks, Ryuk? Have you not seen enough yet?"

"To tell you the truth …" Ryuk stretched his wings. "I almost ended the Kira drama a few months ago. Five years of watching Light and Misa write names without distractions was boring. The only thing that made me linger were the apples. It wasn't until those two successors of yours entered the picture that I decided to stick around a little longer. Now that you're back in the picture too, there's no way I'm about to go back to the shinigami realm!"

"I hate to disappoint, but I'm not here to bring Kira to justice anymore. All I want are the notebooks. I know there are at least two of them."

"What does an elemental want with Death Notes? You don't expect me to just hand them over to you, do you?"

"No, I don't. Regardless, I have been sent here under the orders of Judge Taramik to retrieve them."

"Taramik? Never heard of him. I don't have any use for judges. They're the ones who create shinigamis, you know. In fact, the old man— the King of Death— was once a Judge himself."

"Is that right?"

"That's right. Shinigami's are fallen reapers. The judges deform our appearance and banish us to the wastelands for eternity. Unlike the angels of death, we've lost our ability to absorb lifespan. That's why the Death Notes exist. The old man created them out of pity so that we could go on existing— despite our sentence. You mean your shadow didn't tell you?"

L arched his brow. "My… shadow?"

"Don't tell me you aren't even aware of him! You're just a baby, aren't you?" Ryuk started to laugh again. His long bone of a finger pointed to something, causing L to turn to see what it was. L managed to catch a pair of red eyes in the darkness, though they were only visible for a second. The moment they vanished into the darkness of the storm, the presence of death suddenly grew lighter.

L turned back to Ryuk with a very curious eye. "That thing was too strong to be another shinigami— unless that was your king."

"No, no. The old man never leaves the wastelands." Ryuk changed the subject, apparently losing interest. "You've always been so much more interesting than Light. It's a shame _you _weren't the one who picked up the Death Note."

"Ryuk, in all seriousness, what was that thing I just saw?"

Ryuk didn't answer the question directly. "Why would an angel of death be interested in a water spirit, anyway? He's still watching you, just so you know. He just isn't making it as obvious." More of Ryuk's laughter followed.

On full alert, L's eyes darted around the cemetery. "An angel of death— not a shinigami, but a reaper… one that hasn't fallen…"

"That's right. You're being followed by a reaper— which of course makes no sense considering you're already dead."

"Would a reaper have any use for a Death Note?"

"No. It's a useless tool to them."

The rain was beginning to ease up as the storm slowly passed. L thoughts were racing at full speed. "The reaper's presence has been noted. Getting back to our business, once those notebooks are no longer attached to a human, I'll have to confiscate them."

"Suit yourself. It's not like they're mine. Sidoh has already reclaimed his. The other two belonged to Rem and Gelus. It's not like they need them anymore."

"And that's because?"

"Because they're sand. They sacrificed their existence to save Misa Amane. What a waste. If you're so eager to take the notebooks, why are you going to wait until a human no longer has ownership? Why not just take them now and be done with it? Are you planning on playing another game?" Ryuk actually sounded excited.

"I have no desire to interfere with human affairs— which is exactly what the battle between Kira and L is."

"You know you're lying. You want to jump back into the battle so bad, you can hardly stand it."

"… If I put an end to Kira before Mello and Near have a fair chance at bringing him to justice, then the title of L is already dead. This is the one case that will give them the training they need to carry on my name."

"And you don't care how many people die while you're waiting? Humans are so… oh wait…" Ryuk couldn't exactly refer to L as a human anymore.

L bit down on his thumb and sighed. "I'm an elemental, not a guardian angel."

"You got a point there."

"Even if I did want to take the notebooks before the human ownership expired, it would still be interfering with personal human affairs. I'd have to take a drastic approach to make it acceptable. I'd have to create a natural disaster and hope that Light and Misa just happened to be among the casualties. That's the only way I'm allowed to have a hand at writing human history— otherwise, I'd chance suffering a fate similar to that of Onasisk."

Ryuk perked up. "Onasisk— the earth spirit? I'm a little surprised you know him— being a just a baby and all."

L frowned. He couldn't stand being referred to as a 'baby'. "I knew him. I stole his fiancée away from him and united with her."

Once again, Ryuk started laughing harshly. "You must have one hell of a hidden talent with the ladies to steal one away from Onasisk! The ladies are bewitched by him!"

"That talent would be my ability to exist—nothing more. Onasisk is no longer among us. Had he never received such a harsh sentence for his final crime, I would have never even met Akaia— and I most certainly wouldn't have been able to win her heart."

"So Onasisk finally went too far, huh? What a shame. I bet Gukku isn't happy."

L remembered Raine once mentioning a shinigami by the name of Gukku. Gukku had been the one responsible for erasing almost an entire day of L's memory. Even now that he was in the spirit world— with almost fully restored memories of the days spent with his mother, he still had no recollection of the day he had lost to Gukku. L decided to steer the conversation back to the original topic of concern. "So there are two notebooks then— no more, no less. That's all I needed from you. I can't say it was nice to meet you. It's because of _you_ that things are the way they are at the moment, after all."

"You'll understand why I'm doing this a few centuries from now— when there's nothing left for you to discover." Ryuk moved forward until he was inches away from L's face, challenging him to an uncomfortable staring contest. "Once you've seen all there is to see, your boredom will push you to the brink of madness."

"Don't you have a notebook to haunt?" Seeing that L had no intention of looking away from the smile of death, Ryuk gave one last hacking laugh and flew away. L could no longer feel the presence of death. His thoughts turned back to the red eyes he had briefly seen. 'Taramik has red eyes, but it wasn't him. It only makes since that Ryuk was being truthful. It had to have been a reaper. But why? What does it want?"

**Until next chapter, thanks for reading! =)**


	8. Sacrifice

"He's going to make him write your names in the notebook directly…"

"…_Yes."_

A long silence followed on the other end of the line. Mello hung his head down and rested it on his hand. Halle Lidner could hear only the sound of Mello's steady breathing. At one point, she swore she had heard a very faint sigh. Linder was grateful when Mello finally broke the empty silence.

"It looks like I'm the only one who can do it."

Linder's eyes widened slightly as she heard the line abruptly cut off. _'Mello… you're still so intent on surpassing Near, but if you could just…'_

In a dimly lit room, Mello sat in silence. He let his cell phone carelessly fall to the floor, though he himself did not move. Not even the sudden presence of a familiar entity could raise his head. Though his expression was covered by his hand, Mello's eyes narrowed as he silently acknowledged the entry of his deceased predecessor. The silence that filled the room created an eerie mood, with a certain brand of tension that could send chills down the spine of an onlooker.

Continuing the silence, L moved closer to Mello— uncomfortably closer. His dark eyes danced around like whirlpools as he studied the young man. The eyes of a spirit seldom appeared completely human without the use of an elaborate illusion to cover them up. L saw no reason to perform such a magic trick for the sake of another elemental. Hints of gray were all that made the whirlpool effect noticeable. It was almost like looking into a glass of dark liquid that had just been stirred.

It was Mello who finally decided to speak. "You… know. You know the situation…"

"I do." L pressed his thumb into his bottom lip without backing away.

Another long silenced followed, only to be shattered by the sound of Mello standing up and throwing his chair across the room. He had bolted up so quickly, he went straight through L's ghost. "Damn it!" Mello balled up his fists in anger, clenching his teeth in anger. "That white haired little worm thinks he's got it all figured out! You know this plan of his isn't going to work! He's going to get himself and Halle and the rest of those morons killed! I can't believe you would put him above me to succeed you!"

"I fail to recall saying he was ever first in line. I've stated repeatedly in the past that neither one of you have what it takes to succeed me."

Mello glared at the floor, jumping to another subject. "You know how Kira operates better than anyone, L. You can tell me if I'm wrong. Light Yagami knows exactly what Near is doing. Near's plan is too clean. It's too predictable! Kira is laughing right now!"

L lowered his head and stuck his hands in his illusionary pockets. He thought of the time he played a game of Go with Near at the orphanage. His attacks on the board had been so clean— so lacking in dynamics. Near had every piece of the puzzle solved and put together in the Kira case. There was no doubt about that. But what he lacked… the clear glue to coat it with so he could pin it on his wall. That glue… was none other than Mello.

"Mello… it would appear you and I share the same fear. You've at least considered the possibility of another notebook— one that is hidden away safely. I am aware that there are at least two. One is in the hands of the Japanese taskforce. Teru Mikami has the other. What concerns me is the possibility that Mikami could have a third Death Note in his possession."

Mello quickly shook his head. "Come on, L. You're supposed to be a lot smarter than that. Linder told me there was no shinigami hanging around Mikami. That makes it more than obvious the notebook he's carrying around is a fake. There are two real ones, and a fake one." Mello's eyes narrowed as he saw L slyly smirk at him. "Hey, wait a minute! You're testing me again, aren't you? Damn it! I'm so sick of being part of your farfetched experiment!"

L began biting his nails in a half hearted attempt to cover childish grin. "I enjoy encouraging you to think for yourself— nothing more. Had I told you my true thoughts from the beginning—"

"You would be doing the thinking for me; which means I would advance forward knowing I had your help instead of figuring it out on my own. Fine. I get it now."

"At any rate, I'm fairly sure I know what your next move will be. I can't say I'm thrilled about it."

"Don't be a hypocrite. You were willing to sacrifice your _own_ life to bring Kira to justice. You knew you would die the minute you showed your face to him, and you still pressed forward regardless."

"That's where you're wrong, Mello. I knew there was a very big risk involved when I showed Light Yagami my face, but I wasn't certain I was going to die until Misa Amane entered the picture. It was at that moment I knew that all I could do was buy time. My life was then forfeit. Time was all that mattered, and in that time the Kira case was my obsession. It had to be. Otherwise, I would have sacrificed my life for nothing. Regardless, the real reason I'm not thrilled about this situation is because your death will be death of the world's greatest detective."

Mello raised his head in surprise. "Are you saying—"

"What I'm saying is exactly the same as what I've _been_ saying all along. Near does not have what it takes to equal or surpass me. Neither do you." A hint of irritation could be heard in L's voice. He felt he was starting to sound like a CD that skipped so badly, it only played the first four seconds of a track over and over. "Individually, neither of you are fit to hold the title of L. Together…" L trailed off, as if he didn't want to admit to what he was to say next. "… the two of you are not only worthy of my title… but worthy of even more. If you die, then so will half of L."

It took Mello a moment to speak. He let his gaze drift to the floor as he let L's words sink in. "L… I'll deny I ever said this, but I know deep down you're right. Unfortunately, this has to be done. There's no other way. Light Yagami is smiling right now because he has predicted all of Near's moves. But in doing so, he's made _his own_ plan too neat and organized." Mello started to bring his fist up to his mouth as though he were eating a chocolate bar. The whole gesture had become a bad habit— one that made Mello almost growl every time he realized he was doing it. "All it takes is one moment of chaos to make a foundation crumble. All I have to do is pull one little thread and the whole thing will unravel."

L looked down as he chewed violently on his thumb nail. "You realize that if your name is written in the Death Note, you won't have any lifespan left to escape your final death…"

Mello smiled. "_You _made it, didn't you?"

"Yes, but I told you why. If not for the other name that sealed away that small amount of lifespan, I wouldn't be standing in front of you right now."

"Solar power, L. It's a trick that fire elementals often use to escape their bodies when they're weak. It's one of the reasons there are so many more of us than the other elements. I've never actually tried it since this is my first body…" Mello scowled slightly when he realized he had just told L his true age. "… but I learned enough from my parents when they were still alive to know how the trick works."

"I see…" L started playing with his bottom lip in thought. _ '…though I don't really see how that's fair to the rest of us. Surely there's a way for the other elements to take advantage of such a trick_—_ and I'm still older.'_ He forced himself to stop thinking of how the solar energy trick worked. "I'm interested to know what your plans are, Mello."

Mello thought long and hard before he answered. He knew his plan would end up costing him his life. There wasn't even a 5% chance he would live. It was more like .5%. He also knew that there was only a small chance he would escape his body. Even if he tried to use the solar energy method, it would be his first time leaving a body. The first time was always the most dangerous. Mello bit down on his bottom lip. _'It's no big deal. I used up at least half of my lifespan saving myself and those men in that blast. It's not like I'd live to be a ripe old age. And if I don't escape_—_ I guess that's fine too— as long as I achieve my goal.'_

All things considered, it wasn't the thought of dying that bothered him, but rather the realization that he wouldn't be able to put his plan into action without the help of a second party— and he knew that second party had an even lower chance of surviving. _'Matt… no, I can't…' _

Mello tensed up as he clenched his fists. "I can find someone else to help me. I won't use Matt for this."

"Ouch, Buddy. I'm hurt. You don't think I've got what it takes?" Matt's voice made Mello jump. "Seriously though… who are you talking to in here?"

Mello was so stressed, he didn't realize he had been going back and forth between elemental communication and talking out loud.

Mello tensed up. Left eye twitching madly, he couldn't bring himself to turn around and face his best friend. Matt tried to wait patiently— and failed. "Well… I know this probably has something to do with that call from Lidner." He grinned slyly. "Did she reject your confession of love? Are you so upset that you've decided to kidnap her and keep her hidden away somewhere— all to yourself? I guess you _wouldn't_ want my help with something like that. You know I'd insist that you share her if I got involved."

Mello turned around almost violently to face Matt. His eyes were wide and his fists were clenched tightly together. He shook one of them at Matt as he spoke. "Matt…" Mello grinded his teeth together as he spoke. "I'm so sick of the Halle jokes! I swear I could…" Mello trailed off and sighed, relaxing his muscles as he did so. "Matt… something very big has come up. I'm about to make my final move to catch Kira, but I'm afraid I'll have to sacrifice my own life to make it work."

Matt's smile suddenly disappeared. Not sure what to say, he scratched the back of his head and looked down, knocking his goggles over his eyes in the process. Slowly, he pushed the goggles back, so that they rested on top of his red hair. Before he replied, he took a cigarette out of his vest pocket and lit it. "So you're going to let one of the Kira's write your name in their notebook?" He blew out a big puff of smoke. "Are you getting that desperate, buddy? Are you sure you've thought this through?"

"There's no other way, Matt. If I just stand around and wait; then Near, the SPK and the Japanese task force will all be wiped off the map."

"But you'll still be around. Kira would just be eliminating your competition."

Mello raised his voice at his friend. "This isn't about that anymore, Matt! Kira has used fear to build his own personal army around the globe. If he wins the battle against Near, he'll be even stronger! They'll be no more authority left in the world to oppose him. You and I will be little more than fugitives with nowhere to hide in Kira's world. We'll have no resources left! It needs to end now!" Mello looked over at L before he finished what he had to say. If there was ever a time when Mello thought he wouldn't be able to hold back what the weaker folk referred to as 'tears', it was now. "I… I know now that I… can't bring Kira to justice by myself."

Mello wanted to cry more than anything. He had never been very good at controlling his emotions, but weeping like a baby wasn't something that Mello normally resorted to when he was in distress. He choked back loudly when he felt Matt's hand touch his shoulder. Matt knew how important surpassing Near was to Mello. It had been Mello's only true calling in life. Now that Mello was admitting defeat, Matt knew that his best friend's heart was shattering into tiny pieces. "Is that the reason you don't want my help— because this is a suicide mission?"

"I have a hunch that Kiyomi Takada is the current Kira X. Mikami isn't the one writing down names for Light Yagami right now. If we take Takeda out of the picture, she won't be able to write down any names on the day of Near and Kira's meeting." He hadn't answered Matt's question.

"You don't think Mikami has any access to a Death Note at all?"

"It isn't that simple, Matt. Light Yagami has thought through everything. Mikami is still a key role in this. If he _wasn't_ hiding something, then we could just keep Takeda out of the picture and continue our investigation."

"But you think instead we're going to die…"

Mello found himself briefly lost for words. "…'_We're'_…You're saying you'll help me… regardless of what the outcome is…"

Matt smiled. "I'm in this until the end, buddy— like it or not. We grew up together. You're pretty much my brother. And I still think there's a chance we can live through it. Mikami will write Takeda's name before yours. He won't want her to leak any information. He's never even seen your face. We just can't screw up and we'll be okay." 'Matt seemed a lot more optimistic than Mello— but then again, Mello hadn't shared all of his thoughts about his full plan.

'_If Takada uses a hidden note to kill me without a place to dispose of it, the note will be found in her possession upon her rescue. This will be Kira's reasoning to eliminate her, while trying to find a way to eliminate the note as well. All I have to do is create the perfect setting and one or both of the Kira's will try and use it to their advantage. If I use Matt as a distraction and nothing more… maybe they won't kill him…' _Mello tried hard to convince himself that Matt would be safe, but deep down he knew the brutality of Kira supporters.

Mello glanced at L, who was smiling slightly in approval. Mello patted Matt on his shoulder. "L obviously approves. We have to arrange it that no matter what the outcome, Mikami brings his part of the real notebook out of hiding. Near's men are watching him like a hawk right now, and Lidner tells me he's methodical. Takada's abduction will more than likely be televised because of who she is. He'll see it and panic. Dead or alive, we'll accomplish our goal."

"Sounds great. Not that I actually _want_ to die, though. I'm going to do what I can to avoid it. Just remember I'm not doing this for L. I'm doing it for you."

After a handshake and 'man hug'. L decided to finally chime in. "Touching."

Matt looked at Mello with an arched eyebrow as he tried to figure out what Mello was glaring at. "I don't understand this fantasy world of yours sometimes."

* * *

'_Time for one last cigarette.'_ Surrounded by Takeda's body guards, Matt knew this was it. He was going to die. All he could do now was accept his fate— or hold on to some lingering amount of hope. The only hope he had left was diplomacy. He had to hold on to it.

"Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Since when have the Japanese been allowed to carry such nice guns?" He slowly got out of the car with his lit cigarette in his mouth. "I'm an accomplish in the kidnapping of Takada. Don't you have a bunch of questions to ask me? What's the point in firing—"

The gun fire echoed throughout the city. As Matt was being pumped full of bullets, L stood by him and wept. "Another life lost in the name of Kira. Why does it have to happen like this? Why can't I sense Mikami's notebook? Why is there a power that shields me from touching the one in possession of the taskforce? I could have already collected those notebooks, and none of this would have had to perspire."

L crouched down next to Matt's body and gently pushed the red hair away from the young man's face. The presence of death surrounded him. "I knew this was going to happen… but I—"

L was beginning to melt into a puddle of water from mourning. "I didn't do anything to stop this. I didn't interfere with human affairs. No, I did try to take the notebook. I just couldn't— damn it, Taramik! Are you the one who put that shield around the Death Note I tried to take— so I couldn't interfere?"

"No. I'm afraid that would have been me."

L quickly pulled himself back together and stood in a defensive position. Of course, it wasn't Taramik. It wasn't a shinigami either. It was a very familiar voice, and he didn't like its source. A reaper sat on the other side of Matt's body. His face was hidden something that resembled a black cloak— though it was more like a shadow or a dark void. His red eyes were all that could be seen. L didn't need to see his face. He knew exactly who it was. "B."

Beyond Birthday— the failed successor of L— the reaper that had been trailing L since he returned to the human world had decided to make himself known. There was no doubt; everything that had puzzled L about B when they had both been alive now made sense. The only things that didn't make sense—

"How does a reaper live as a human? I was told that was a privilege reserved only to the elements. And how did you escape your final death at the power of Kira's death note?"

The reaper replied with mad laughter. It was the same laughter that L had had to put up with when he visited B in prison— except now it was even less human. "Oh, little water sprite! You know absolutely nothing at all do you?" More laughter followed. If the insult wasn't bad enough, B grabbed Matt's lifeless head and started rocking it from side to side. His voice changed slightly as he tried to imitate Matt. "That's right, B! Beyond Birthday knows so much more about this sort of thing than the high and mighty L! L is just a w-ittle baby! That's why he isn't strong enough to sense the other notebook!"

L looked up quickly to see an approaching man screaming. "The bastard is still alive!" It was followed by another gunshot; which embedded itself in Matt's skull. B released Matt's head and laughed even harder.

L was more than angry, but he wasn't going to give B the satisfaction of knowing it. He made sure to keep his face expressionless. "I'd really love to stay and chat with you B— really. However, I'd much rather spend this little piece of my eternity conversing with someone who's actually 'worthy' of being my successor." He was referring to Mello.

B's laughter abruptly stopped. "Well, if that's how you want to play— I'm not here to talk to you anyway. I'm just here to pick up the Mail." B thought he was being cute by using Matt's real first name.

"Are you suggesting that he doesn't cease to exist after death? From all I've learned so far, I was under the impression the lower ranking humans had no immortal soul."

"I'm not gonna tell! I'm not gonna tell!" B was singing it like an annoying toddler. "Oh, this truly IS the happiest day of my eternity! L is asking _me _questions about how things work!"

There was so much going through L's mind at that point. He was jumping from question to question. "I need those notebooks, B. There's still a chance to save Mello if I can have them right now."

"Yeah, good luck with that."

L was beginning to literally boil. "You—"

"Ooo. It looks like the kettle's about to boil over. Why don't we just talk later, okay?" With that, Beyond Birthday was gone— leaving L to wallow in his own anger, sorrow and confusion. Things were starting to get difficult; and with Near and Light's meeting date quickly approaching, Beyond Birthday was the last thing L needed to add to the equation of madness.

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**Foxattack figured it out! The reaper is B! ^_^ **

**I realize my writing is getting sort of low quality with this story. I would have loved to have focused a little more on Matt's death. I would have loved to include Mello's death too. It's because I'm being rushed to get it finished (not by readers, but by the stresses of home life) plus my free time to sit down and put my all into my writing just really isn't there right now. I don't know if it will return anytime soon.**

**As of now, I have the next chapter covering Light and Near's meeting. I'm not done with Misa or Ryuk yet, so expect to see them once more. And of course, we will find out more about B. I can not even begin to predict when the next chapter will be posted, as I need to work on the next chapter for To Catch a Sparrow; but I really do appreciate those of you who are keeping up with this story. **


	9. Conversation with Death

**A/N- yeah, I've finally** **decided to write and upload a new chapter. I really do apologize for the delay. I don't have the time I used to and my interests are now a little more focused on writing my actual series based on Adian and the rest of the elements rather than sticking them into someone else's world. That of course means that I took all of the L like qualities away from Adian. So now that I'm coming back to write more of this, it's hard to picture L and Adian as the same person anymore. **

**There are very few chapters left in this fanfic. I still need to write about the final showdown between Near and Kira, a final scene of L appearing to Misa before she commits suicide, etc. Two or three chapters at the most is what I'm guessing. If you're actually still keeping up with this story, I thank you so very much! **

**This chapter sort of takes a small break from the Kira case- sort of like the calm before the storm. It's basically a meeting between L and Beyond Birthday. A lot of the story in this chapter WILL NOT make sense if you haven't read A World of Their Own. Please keep that in mind!**

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_There are things in this existence that not even a genius can understand__— miracles, worldly dimensions, paranormal phenomenon, purpose… _

_It's commonly understood there are reasons for everything. There must be a cause in order to achieve an effect. Nothing can happen without it being the direct result of something else that has happened. Most importantly, there must be an answer to every question, the trick is merely finding it and understanding it. I've had so much time to ponder this common logic lately. All an immortal sprit has is time. Time…_

_Lately I've found myself questioning the accuracy of this common logic. Is there really meant to be an answer for every question? A mortal would most certainly think so. While most use their faith in fictional beings to end their quest for truth before it even begins, there are those that attribute the lack of these 'answers' to the limited time they have to find it. It's an advanced game of hide and seek. A mortal will use up the short lifespan granted to them to seek out these 'answers' that they 'know' to exist. If they die before they find it, they've simply lost the game. They ran out of time before they could reach the finish line; leaving their game tokens behind for their successors to pick up. 'Step right up and dig through the haystack! I guarantee there's a needle there!' _

_But is there really a needle at all? Must one come to the conclusion that 'some answers are never meant to found' in order to be satisfied with their defeat? Would it really be so bad to admit that all along, the answers you so desperately sought to find— the invisible needle in the haystack— was little more than a race to a dead end—a lie? Would it be such a blow to mortal pride to admit that there never were any answers— they don't exist now, they didn't exist then, nor will they ever exist. I've come to the conclusion that Time is the one behind the gaming booth yelling 'step right up!' Time… all I have is time. All there 'is' is time. Does any of it make any sense? Is it supposed to make sense? When I was a living and breathing human, I wouldn't have been satisfied unless it made sense. I wouldn't have been satisfied unless I could find and hold the needle in_ _my_ _hand— feel its tip break through the skin of my finger._

L marked his place in the journal with a freshly fallen leaf. He had found the tattered book half buried in the soil of his mother and father's grave. His parents_… _Onasisk had returned both of their bodies to the soil only a few yards away from where the cathedral had once stood. When L had still been alive, he had spent countless hours searching for the location of that cathedral. He had wanted to know if a cathedral actually existed that carried with it the bloody history of a little boy named Adian. Was it real, or merely a fictional nightmare that haunted him for unknown reasons? Unbeknownst to L at that time, Onasisk had used elemental magic to cover up the cathedral slayings— assuming that Lawliet wouldn't have wanted Keiko's name soiled as an adulterer that had tricked her husband into raising someone else's child as his own; driving him into a psychotic madness (though that was in fact exactly what she did).

Onasisk and a few vengeful water spirits—angered by Lawliet's brutal murder— had created a monstrous storm and shook the small island with an earthquake; causing the cathedral to crumble to the ground. Onasisk had used Adian's genetic code to produce a cadaver in his likeness—which covered up the fact that little Adian had in fact been carried away to safety by Akaia the wind spirit. Lawliet's death was covered up to look like a drowning at sea, while Adian and Keiko were found inside the demolished cathedral alongside their killer. The ending result painted a picture of a family who took shelter in their church during the storm, only to meet their tragic end as the faulty foundations of the old building gave way to the earthquake. Lawliet's disappearance was also painted to look like a casualty of the natural elements—with no connection whatsoever to the family that was found at the cathedral. Onasisk had created the perfect cover up—one that not even the great detective L himself, could expose.

Of course, Akaia—Raine—had revealed most of this to L once she regained her memories. He had hoped that learning the truth would stop his nightmares, but they had continued all the way up until the death of his body. Even with the heavy weight of the Kira case on his shoulders, the dream of little Adian was still there; lurking in the shadows of his subconscious. Being in spirit form made it much easier for L to recall the small coastal island where he had spent the first three years of his life. Once he found it, he used the moisture in the ground to scan the soil for the genetic code of Lawliet. The earth served as a hard drive for storing away an elemental's genetic code. It was vital to have if one wished to return to the earth in a living body.

Lawliet, of course, would never return to the world of the living again. Though it was still fully possible to create a cadaver of his body, it was completely useless without a soul to inhabit it. L wondered if it was possible for another soul to fuse with a body that carried someone else's genetic code. The idea seemed perfectly feasible to him, yet he also know that certain actions carried consequences_—_ such as extending a human's lifespan.

Finding his parent's site of burial was a surprisingly easy task. L could only describe his ability to play 'tracking hound' as a spiritual instinct. He had managed to tap into this instinct quite clearly, despite the coat of stress he wore in light of everything he had witnessed in the past few days_—_ Matt and Mello's tragic demise, the over confidence of both Light Yagami and Near as they prepared for their final battle, and the most mind blowing event of all…

—the appearance of the reaper, Beyond Birthday.

It was too much. The questions were far too many and the answers were too far out of reach. The appearance of B had left L with a question that was proving to be a major distraction. B collected the souls of humans who weren't members of the elemental world. He pulled the soul out before the dying body could consume it. Did that mean their souls continued to exist after their death? Were they spared from Nu_— _the state of ceasing to exist? If that were the case then that could mean_—_

"Mother…" L was standing in the middle of a heavily wooded area. There was nothing there to suggest that two people had been laid to rest there_— _in fact if someone were start digging, no skeletons would ever be found. The bodies had long ago converted to soil.

"Mother…" He repeated it in a whisper. Was it possible that her soul still existed? Raine and Onasisk both had assumed his elemental father had met his final death, but his mother…

Did a reaper retrieve her soul before it could drown in death? If so, where would she be now? Where did the souls of typical humans go after the reaper took them away?

B's appearance had sparked all of these questions, but it had also created an even deeper wave of guilt within L_. 'Watari could have had an afterlife; but because of me, his entire existence was stolen by a Death Note.'_ Shinigamis were not like the reapers. They didn't rescue the souls of the victims they claimed. They merely absorbed every last drop of lifespan, making a spirit's escape impossible. L himself had only managed to escape through a small reserve of lifespan that had been attached to his birth name.

L's tangled web of thoughts were soon interrupted when he spotted the journal. Though a little tattered on the edges, it seemed in surprisingly good condition, as if it had only been there for a few days. L studied his surroundings. There were no paths or clearings, so it seemed highly unlikely that it could have been dropped by a hiker. He opened the journal to a random page and read the handwritten passage. 'It isn't a living human's journal_— _but who could it possibly belong to?' L wanted to examine the book more in depth for more clues, but a familiar voice suddenly broke the silence.

"I had a feeling you would come here."

Instead of an immediate response, L instead picked up the leaf and marked his placed in the journal. Without turning to face the source of the voice, L finally addressed the voice in a dry and monotone manner. "Why are you following me?"

"Isn't that what you originally wanted_—_ for me to follow in your footsteps?"

"Yes, but not literally speaking." L sighed slightly as he finally turned around to face Beyond Birthday.

B was leaning against a tree_—_ eyes glowing red. They didn't look too much unlike Taramik's, though the child judge's eyes were more of a magenta shade. B's were a very loud red. They didn't look any different than those of a demonic creature in a poorly made movie.

"Do you find my presence annoying?" B tried to look offended.

"Slightly."

"Well, good! That means my mission is a success so far!" A short burst of insane laughter followed.

"Your mission…" L rolled his eyes slightly. "Your mission is to annoy me."

"No, not really. It's more of a perk that _comes_ with my mission."

"And that would be?"

"I need those Death Notes."

L studied B in silence. Beyond Birthday still sported the same messy hair style as L (albeit it didn't have as much volume), but it was its original light brown color. The rest of B's body was hidden in a black void. It made L think of the black sensory bars that were so often used to censor parts of drawings or photographs, except this blackness was smoother around the edges_—_ more like a smudge. Aside from B's head, the only part of him that was visible was his right arm. It looked as though it had been badly burned in a fire. The charred hand wrapped around a double bladed scythe.

B noticed L staring at the scythe. "Mine's bigger than yours, of course. Yours is so small, it isn't even there."

L was half expecting another fit of laughter to follow. Surprisingly, it didn't. He ignored the crude insult to his manhood. "What would a reaper want with a Death Note, B? Ryuk said they were useless to your kind. Even if you did have a use for them, nothing is stopping you from taking them right now. Instead, you choose to put a barrier over them to keep me away. Where is the logic?"

B responded with another question in a mocking tone. "What would a water sprite want with a Death Note? Where is the logic?"

Clearly annoyed, L glared at the reaper. "I'm really not in the mood, B."

With a slightly feminine tone, B shot back "You're never in the mood anymore. And yet you get angry when I look at porn."

L could feel his fingertips trying to dig into the journal. "I'm done here." Without another word, L morphed into a thick mist.

Before L could evaporate away, B said exactly what he knew L wanted to hear. "I know what became of your mother."

The ball suddenly grew thicker until L's figure rematerialized. With no words, he shot B a penetrating stare.

"That's right. I have the answers to all of your questions. I didn't have them when I was a human because all of my memories had been suppressed; but now_—_ now that I've returned to my true form, I'm every step above you. How does it feel knowing that B is before L, Candy Man? B is _always_ before L."

L decided to fire back on one of B's previous insults. "Not true. L is always first in 'Length'. In fact, there's no B there at all. Even if one were to put the words 'well endowed' together, there's still no B anywhere to be found_—_ two L's though. Does that mean L is twice as long? '_Long'— _no B in that either_._"

As L stood in seemingly deep thought_—_ his index finger pressed against his lip, the double bladed head of B's scythe bolted through him, cutting L's shape in half. As if a small aquarium had been tipped over, a rush of water made its way to the ground. A little stunned, L slowly collected himself_— _re-absorbing the lost water. In what appeared to be amazement, the newly whole form of L tried to take in what had just happened.

B's scythe head apparently extended itself outward like a whip. A long chain held the head and staff together. When L was alive, he had been very fond of chains. He had loved playing with the chain that Raine had always worn around her wrist, and he had used chains as his first choice of restraint for Misa the night Higuchi was apprehended. L had concluded the strange interest to be a fetish, and on several occasions while chained to Light_— _hewould share his thoughts about chains. Making Light uncomfortable was just part of his job, after all. An uncomfortable suspect was always more likely to slip up. L often regretted the fact that he didn't consider Misa as dangerous or cunning as Light. She would have been a much better choice for a 'chain buddy'.

L now stood gawking at the chained weapon in amazement. "I…. want… one of those."

"Get your own toy, Loser. This one is mine." B stretched and started walking toward L. "I use it to severe a person's soul from their body. It's really no different from the cheesy comics and books people write about the Grim Reaper_— _but I shouldn't have to explain that obviously. As you just witnessed, I can't kill you_— _nor can you kill me. That's not the way things work in the spirit world. It's a tragedy, I know. We can battle it out all we want with our weapons and special abilities, but neither one of us will ever die."

"If there can't be a winner, then how does one settle a dispute?" L had snapped out of his 'chain' trance.

B smiled slyly. "You'll like this_— _the answer is restraint. Spirits can be restrained, weakened and forced into dormancy. And as I'm sure you've seen, the higher beings can put a seal on a spirits lifespan, which ultimately erases them from existence all together. Higher beings are the only ones with the true power to kill a spirit."

"Yes, higher beings such as a judge."

"That's right. None of us know what the hell they really are, who they serve or where they come from, but they can wipe out your existence with the blink of an eye. They're supposed to keep things in balance."

L was a little surprised to see B willingly give so much information. He decided to pry a little further to see how far he could take it. "And what's so important about keeping balance? You of all people should agree a little chaos is necessary."

B grinned. "And this is where we get to the interesting part. I know you're wondering how a reaper was able to walk among the living in a human body. Normally only an elemental can do such a thing. Why don't you humor me for a bit and try to guess what happened."

Biting his bottom lip, L answered almost reluctantly. "Balance_— _something was thrown out of balance and you somehow ended up in the human world. Do you care to elaborate any further on this subject? You should be happy to know you've managed to spark my curiosity."

"Is that so? Too bad it can't kill the cat this time. I guess I could tell you more, I guess… I mean, if you really want me to_— _maybe I could."

L bit down on his thumb and almost growled. "You've always wanted L's attention. Well, now you have it_— _full and undivided. You obviously have something you're dying to say or you wouldn't be following me around like a pitiful puppy."

B's pale face flushed with anger. L could actually feel the heat that the reaper was producing. "You know…" B growled. "I was the one who took your mother. That man who sliced her open was just a tool. What do you think of that?"

L managed to hold on to his nonchalant demeanor. "I'm still listening."

"Little Adian, love child of the great water spirit, Lawliet and the adulterous human, Keiko. You were supposed to die that night alongside your mother. I couldn't extract your soul of course, because you're an elemental. I had no business with you_—_ but regardless, your lifespan was scheduled to run out only minutes after your mothers. Had you stayed asleep in your bed that night, away from harm_— _you still would have died that night. Your lifespan was at its end. The story of your parent's forbidden love and the psychotic jealous husband made things fall perfectly into place. Events in time flow as smoothly as water. Each little detail runs through web-shaped streams, all meeting at the mouth of the river to produce the same result_— _death_._ Call it 'destiny' if you will, but I think that's too romantic of a word. Wouldn't you agree?"

When L didn't reply, B continued. "Everything was in order that night. I took your mother's soul as well as the old Priest's that your stepfather shot. I had no reason to have any interest in you, of course, until that damn air spirit came into the picture. She had a lifestone with her_— _which is something that's only supposed to be used if an elemental is molding a new body to return to the human world. The moment she shoved that stone into your chest, it was my duty as death itself to see that it was undone. You can't just cheat death and expect to get away with it! I tried to cut through your new lifespan, but the moment my blades slashed through the number above your head, everything went black. The next thing I know_— _I'm growing up in a Whammy orphanage, trying to figure out why no one other than myself has the ability to see the day a person would die."

B paused for a moment, as if trying to get his thoughts together. He suddenly appeared frustrated. "I've tried to understand how it could have possibly happened. Once that stone entered your body, the webs were broken. Things were thrown into chaos and I just happened to be part of that broken web. I was found as a small human infant in a strawberry field. How is something like that possible? You figure it out yourself, because I'm still perplexed."

B suddenly perked up. "Hey, I have an idea! Let's see who can figure it out first. A race of sorts_— _just like old times. I'll even make it interesting." He held out his scythe and moved it from left to right. "My scythe will be the prize_— _with its lovely, lovely chain. Wouldn't you like that, dirty boy?"

L stared longingly at the scythe before cutting his eyes over to B. "You're trying to entice me to start an entirely different game before finishing the current one. You forget the reason I'm currently in the human world."

"Ahh, the whole 'Kira' battle. I'm so bored with the whole thing. And such little faith in your successor. Do you really have to hold his hand? I know he's not as great as I was, but hey, give the albino kid a chance. After all, you tried to hold Mello's hand and look what happened to him." B gave L an evil grin. Despite the fact that L wasn't showing any emotion, B knew he had pinched a nerve.

"It would be over a lot sooner if you would take your little hex off of the notebooks."

"Why? So you can take them to that judge? Who's the pitiful puppy? At least I don't play fetch. I need those notebooks for my own reasons. It only makes sense that an instrument of death be inherited by death itself_— _would you not agree?"

"The shinigami was lying then? A reaper does have a use for a notebook."

"Well, not really. I just need to test a hypothesis."

"Which would be?"

"Perhaps I'll tell you if you play a riddle game with me."

L was starting to get frustrated. "I don't want to play games with you right now, B. You and I apparently have all of eternity to compete with each other. I died because of those notebooks. I have every right to_—_"

"You should have _died_ when you were in preschool! I'm sorry, but you aren't going to get any sympathy from this reaper! Be grateful you were allowed to remain among the living as long as you were."

Realizing he wasn't getting anywhere, L adjusted his strategy. "Very well, Beyond Birthday. You don't have to tell me anything. You bore me to death with you rambling anyway, so I'm sure I'm doing myself a favor by passing on another story."

B thought about cutting L in half again, but decided against it after thinking about L's fascination with his scythe_. 'No… no. I don't want to take the chance that he'd enjoy it this time.' _Having little interest in L's suspected fetishy side, B decided instead to let L win the battle of reverse psychology. "You can't talk to me like that, you stupid water sprite! I'm not going to stop following you until you hear my genius theory."

L rolled his eyes. "You're so incredibly lame when you try and act."

"Like you could do any better."

"Quite frankly, I'm surprised Naomi Misora fell for your little detective role playing as easily as she did."

This time, it was L who had pinched B's nerve. "Naomi…" B's eyes lost their red tint the moment he said her name. It was then that L saw a trace of humanity within the reaper. Naomi Misora, the pawn that moved before its turn, the true warrior that had defeated B_— _why did the mention of her name draw such a reaction?

"She was killed… by the hands of… Kira. And that means_—"_

"It means she's gone, just like Watari."

"You would think that would be the case. If a shinigami writes a name in its notebook, it steals all of the lifespan attached to its victim. An elemental wouldn't have any lifespan to escape, and the shinigami itself has no need or duty to release the soul." B paused for a brief moment and then continued in a more desperate tone. "But I have a theory! A Death Note is powerful enough to snatch mass quantities of lifespan with only a small sliver of paper. What if it's also powerful enough to absorb the very soul of its victims? What if I, as a reaper, can reclaim all of the souls that should have been mine to begin with? What if_—_"

"It would appear your 'theory' is actually more of a lingering hope. Why such a need to reclaim those lost souls_— _assuming they are indeed trapped within the pages of a Death Note? Do other reapers get this upset over lost souls?"

B's anger was rapidly returning. "The notebooks are mine! I will have her! I mean_— _I will have them! The notebooks, the souls… I will have _them_!" In a fit of rage, Beyond Birthday sliced into L once again.

It took L a little longer to pull himself back together that time. "You know, that really sort of hurts."

L was greeted with silence, for B had already disappeared.

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**I didn't get a chance to really proof this, so I hope there aren't too many screw ups. I apologize if their are. My time is just so limited, it's ridiculous! I'll try and have the next chapter up as soon as possible. Thanks so much for reading! =)**


	10. A Haunting I Will Go

**A/N; Super, super short chapter that I wrote in less than two hours. It was just going to be one scene in a bigger chapter, but I want to keep the updates as frequent as I can. This one might seem a little demented to some.**

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"Misa! Damn it, Misa! Did you forget to pay the water bill?" It was one of the few occasions Light Yagami was actually home. He adjusted settings on the shower head angrily. Only moments prior, he had been enjoying a hot shower. Light hadn't immediately noticed the shower head losing pressure. The water stream had steadily grown weaker and weaker, but didn't reduce itself to a small trickle until Light had shampooed his hair. Eventually, the trickle stopped all together, leaving Light with a head full of shampoo and a body half covered in soap suds.

'_That idiot! I keep more than enough funds in her account to take care of these trivial things and she can't even remember to pay a simple bill?'_ Light's thoughts were screaming at him as he jerked back the shower curtain and reached for a towel that was no longer there. "What the—Misa!" Light screamed at the top at his lungs, stumbling to the towel closet to get another towel.

It had been a rotten evening for Light Yagami. Despite the cold weather outside, he had managed to soak his underclothes in sweat during the walk home. All day, he had carried a hand towel with him, constantly wiping the excessive perspiration from his face. And the seemingly unquenchable thirst… Light had considered a possible visit to a doctor, but concluded the only thing wrong with him was the stress and anticipation of waiting for his final encounter with Near.

In the far corner of the bathroom, an invisible entity slouched lazily against the wall. "Misa can't hear you, Light. She's not even here. Perhaps the stresses of playing God are causing you to grow senile. And there's no need to raise your voice. It can't be good for that dry throat." L tilted his head with a smirk. Even though Light couldn't hear the water spirit's words clearly enough to peg them as actual words, the audible broken whispers of L's voice suddenly stopped Light dead in his tracks. He had not forgotten about his scare in the cemetery. He could feel the chill bumps forming all over his body. The drops of water that remained on his fully exposed skin made the chills even worse.

L poked his bottom lip out slightly. "Aww. The poor prince is cold. Perhaps I should help him dry off." Light watched in half terror as the droplets of water from his body began to crawl to the ground. It felt as though dozens of slimy slugs were crawling on him; leaving behind a dry filmy trail of soap residue. Each droplet joined together on the floor to form a small puddle at Light's feet.

"I'm not done yet, Light. You've been drinking so much water today. It isn't healthy to hold a full bladder for so long." Despite the fact he had lost so much water through his own sweat (there was no doubt he was dehydrated), Light suddenly felt a tingling in his crotch area. Without any further warning, Light suddenly felt a steady stream of urine trickling down his legs. There was no way of stopping it. Light was completely powerless against the water that made up his body.

L made sure to stop pulling the water out of Light before he caused any serious damage. He already knew what results to expect between the final battle of Kira and L; and he wanted to make sure that Light Yagami was healthy enough to witness the collapse of everything he had worked so hard to build. To drain the life out of Light while he was nude, helpless and standing in his own piss… it just didn't seem right (nor did it seem as satisfying).

"B would appreciate this if he were around." L had not seen B since their run-in at Lawliet and Keiko's grave. Though he had left L with many questions, L was sure he would see B again soon enough. With one final trick up his sleeve, L focused his attention on the toilet.

Finally finding the nerve to move, Light jerked his whole body around and focused on the toilet as well. The sound it was making sounded like someone blowing bubbles in a drink through a straw. The water inside the bowl was rising rapidly. It wasn't long before it was spilling out onto the floor. To add to the effect, L turned the water flow back on in the shower.

After the state of shock had subsided, Light's anger returned. "I know it's you, Ryuzaki! I know it!"

At that moment, L's attention was not focused on Light's anger, but rather another voice that had suddenly appeared. "Acting like a child again, I see." It was the voice of Taramik. Tough he wasn't in the room—or even in the human world—Taramik's childlike voice could be heard in L's elemental language.

"Yes, I suppose I am. And I suppose you're about to tell me I'm breaking some sort of rule?"

"No. I'm just bored."

"Right."

"I should probably warn you since I'm here, however — you're not to abuse your ability to haunt. You will need to clean up this mess and erase any evidence that anything out of the ordinary took place here aside from a busted pipe. We must see that living humans are kept ignorant to our world. They may speculate and tell stories of things they witness all they want, but they must never possess evidence that proves there are other worlds besides their own. If they find proof, they will tear apart their own world in a desperate attempt to locate the road to ours."

L rolled his eyes slightly. "And yet you've allowed the Death Notes to remain in the human world for this long."

"There will be no proof it existed after all is said and done; as long as you complete your task."

"I should assume you already know of the trouble B is causing me. I hope you intend on sticking around for a while. I have several questions that I'd like to—."

"I am aware of the reaper and his intentions. That's all I care to say on the subject. I'm in no mood for an interrogation of any kind, detective. Finish your business with this man. My interest in your current activity has waned. I'll see you again soon, Adian."

L cut his eyes in frustration. '_How warped is it that I take orders and listen to lectures from a child— and I'm considered a newborn compared to __**his**__ actual age._ _I'd like to know what he really is._'

The entire conversation between L and Taramik had taken place in less than 20 seconds. By that time, Light's anger had turned into something colder. He stood calmly in the middle of the bathroom wearing a sinister smirk.

"Ah, now _this_ is the Kira I know." L had no trouble shoving his conversation with Taramik to the back of his mind.

Light spoke to the seemingly empty room in his usual calm and collected voice. "Go ahead and haunt me, L. There's nothing you can do to change the outcome of this. If you had such power, you would have put an end to this years ago. In only a few days' time, Near will die, along with the SPK and the remaining members of the task force. And once I claim my throne as God of the new world, I'll make sure all of the Wammy orphanages are done away with. No one will ever oppose me again. You're just a helpless ghost that can't accept the fact that you've lost the game. All you can do is watch as I destroy everything you built and fought for." Light's smirk was trying hard not to break into a laugh. The insanity of Kira had entirely consumed Light Yagami's soul.

L felt his temperature dropping. As Light crossed his arms to warm his exposed body from the cold, he turned to catch a glance in the mirror of an image that was all too familiar. The person staring back at him was L, who wore an almost demonic looking glare. Light's comment about the orphanages had pushed all of L's bad buttons. "You're done." The ghostly whisper was sharp and harsh. Before Light could reply with any words or actions, L had disappeared.

A few hours later, at the foot of Q. Wammy's final resting spot, a transparent figure crouched down as if tending the grave. "I hate it, Watari. I had no problem staying calm and indifferent when I was alive. It's like all of my walls died along with my body. The nerve of Kira! Destroying my legacy is one thing, but to plan on destroying yours as well?" As if exhausted, L practically threw himself down and rolled over on his back to rest beside the grave. He studied the night sky for a while before speaking again. "My twisted little pranks aren't making these feelings go away. I know Light Yagami has little time left. If I can't forgive him for everything he's done before he ceases to exist, then I'll spend the rest of eternity as an angry and vengeful ghost. What am I going to do, Watari?"

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**See you Next Chapter! ^_^**


	11. Kira's End

**A/N: Here's the next to the last chapter. I have to say I was never expecting this story to turn out as long as it has. It's really crazy! I didn't enjoy writing this chapter at all. The reason being because most of the dialog I had to copy straight from a fan translated manga. Because there was so much going on, I didn't get a chance to include L and B as much as I had originally wanted. L didn't really play a part at all other than just being around to witness and exchange words with B. So 80% of this chapter is nothing but a recap of what happened in the Death Note series (manga scenes and dialog lightly mixed with anime scenes and dialog). I can't stand copying dialog. I hate it with a passion! But here it is none the less. I'm not taking time to proof it tonight because it's after midnight, but it shouldn't be too bad. I know the next chapter will be a lot more fun to write !**

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"That's… supposed to be me?" L's eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the mask that Near was wearing. "My eyes aren't that round, are they?"

An unlikely companion answered, though his voice was surprisingly serious and monotone. "You spent most of your life depriving yourself of sleep—keeping yourself wired on sugar and caffeine in an effort to make up for it. The mask depicts you perfectly." B smirked only slightly. "That's one of Near's custom made 'toys'. No doubt about it. I'm surprised he knows your face so well considering he claims he's never seen you in person."

It was the day of the final showdown between Kira and Near. With so much at stake, L and Beyond Birthday had decided to overlook their differences so as to avoid distractions from the upcoming show. Every living individual who knew anything of the Death Notes were present— Near, Kira, the SPK, and the task force members. The vacant warehouse was dead silent, save for the slow turn of an exhaust fan and the heavy breathing of very nervous taskforce members.

The shinigami, Ryuk, had only briefly acknowledged L and B's presence with a short coughing laugh. He knew that neither the reaper nor the water spirit would interfere with the show. They were both waiting—waiting on human ownership of the Death Notes to expire. Once that happened, Ryuk could expect a new battle to begin. Who would get the Death Notes— the reaper or the water sprite? Ryuk was bursting with curiosity. _'If Near wins, what will the two spiritual misfits do to get the notebooks away from him? If Light wins… then there's nothing else for me to see in the Kira drama. I'll write Light's name down in my own notebook. That way, I can move straight to the match between L and the reaper. This should be so interesting!' _

L looked at Near's mask again before replying to B. "His claim is in fact a lie. Though I never introduced myself to him as L, I once played a game of Go with him while I was visiting Wammy's House on business. I'm sure he figured out who I was before the game ended. I would imagine the only reason he isn't sharing it with anyone is because he sees it as his memory and his alone." L shifted nervously and turned his attention back to B. "Though I can't be completely sure, I get this strange feeling that Near is staring at me through that mask— like he knows I'm here."

B shrugged and stretched out lazily. He wasn't hiding most of his body in darkness today. Instead, he was wearing an illusion of L's usual jeans and white t-shirt. His form had taken on the appearance of a burn victim, though he was perfectly capable of making himself appear completely healed. The scar tissue from his burns had meant something to him. Because of such, the look would more than likely become irreversible with time.

"You're spooked? A spirit is spooked by a living, breathing human?" B let out a quick laugh. "He certainly does resemble you, don't you think? I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't somehow related to you. Perhaps a cousin, uncle… half-brother…"

"Where are you going with this, B?"

"Surely you don't think a spirit as old as Lawliet only fathered one child. You're not _that_ damn special! As far as I know, Lawliet dated all the way back to the Mesopotamian civilization. You're probably only the youngest of many. There's always a possibility Near is one of Lawliet's decedents. God knows, he has the features for it! Hell, Near could pass as _your_ son— assuming you conceived him when you were 13 or 14! Did you kidnap one of the girls from the east building and experiment with her in that stupid little private room you had? Who was she? I bet I know her!"

Ignoring B's accusation, L studied Near hard, almost hoping he would take his mask off. "Near… can you hear me?" He waited for a response to his elemental tongue, but there was nothing. L repeated the question and waited. No reply came from Near, but Matsuda managed to break the silence of the warehouse. "I can't accept this! You freely accuse someone here of being Kira, and the sole person wearing a mask is you! How selfish can you be?"

"Matsuda, Near thinks that I'm Kira, so it can't be helped." Light Yagami remained calm in his response. In his mind, today was his big win. Today was the day he could fully claim his throne as God of the new world.

L's attention immediately focused on Kira. _'Today is the day, Light Yagami. Today is the day it all ends.'_

Matsuda continued to whine about Near's mask. "But he himself is the one who shamelessly asked to meet us! Something about this just doesn't seem fair!"

"Near is doing this because he has his own way of thinking. If we sit here and complain about the mask, nothing will get done." Light was still calm, yet L knew him well enough to know that he was getting annoyed and overly eager.

"This mask…" Near chimed in, "is a precaution."

"A precaution?" Matsuda raised an eyebrow.

'Still stupid, I see.' L sighed to himself as he studied Matsuda. 'It's a good thing he has his heart to make up for it.'

Near offered his explanation. "I feel confident that Kira, and the one now judging under Kira's instructions, X-Kira, haven't seen my face. However, everyone else's faces ay have already been seen. Of course I think L is Kira… In other words, I worry because the time and place were decided as of three days ago. And that means everyone here, except myself, has the possibility that their names have already been written down and could therefore die at any moment."

Uneasiness filled the room. "My, what a smart boy he is." B grinned from ear to ear before returning to his 'serious' face.

L wasn't feeling so humorous. In fact, he was starting to lose himself in anger again. The mention of Light Yagami holding L's name, thus L being Kira had made him literally boil. It was taking every bit of self-restraint L had to keep himself from making his presence known. _'I can't… control it. I can't control my anger! I just can't… I just want him to die!'_

B looked over at L and frowned. "I have to admit, I'm jealous. I was supposed to be the one who pushed you over the edge, not Kira." B's words went unheard by the struggling spirit beside him. In response, Beyond Birthday took his scythe and cut straight through L's left leg, causing him to lose his balance.

L looked up and glared at B, who in return resorted to resting his hands and chin on the handle of his scythe and pouting. "Hmph!"

Meanwhile the rest of the room (save for Ryuk) was completely oblivious to L and B's antics. Near was still speaking. "If that's the case, Kira and I will be the only ones left, with Kira free to write my name in the notebook that Mr. Aizawa now has. Although in accordance with my judgment, the Kira here now shouldn't be able to kill people with only their face. That's why, for one hour— no, for thirty minutes— I would like for you to allow me to see if anyone here is being manipulated and dies."

"W—what the hell? Wait to see if we don't die?" Matsuda was afraid— and with good reason.

"That should be fine, right?" Light said calmly, "We need to do whatever Near feels is necessary here. If not, he won't feel at ease. Near, I believe that you are indeed Near; but matters involving your face don't concern me at all. I'm more interested in what you said you wanted to show us regarding the Kira case, so please enlighten us."

Near began twirling his hair around his finger. "As for that — that is something I can't show you until I take off my mask."

"You can't show us what it is if you don't take off your mask, but you're not taking off your mask. Aren't you contradicting yourself?" Matsuda was making all of the outbursts today. L concluded Matsuda had been hanging around Aizawa for far too long.

Light once again tried to sooth Matsuda's nerves. "He means that once he confirms that everyone is safe, he will take off his mask and show us what it is, right?"

"Yes." Following Near's reply, all was silent for 30 minutes. Aside from the occasional cough or sneeze, no one made a sound. Even the spirits in the room were silent. The tension was high. Each member of the task force struggled to stand still, knowing that they could die at any second.

Not surprisingly, Matsuda was the one who broke the silence. "Near, it's been well over 30 minutes and nothing has happened."

"Of course that's the case, because Kira is not here among us." Light stated it smoothly and matter-of-factly.

Near was apparently satisfied with the amount of time that had gone by. "Alright, everyone seems to be okay. I'll take off my mask now." Without any hesitation, Near removed his mask and met eyes with Light Yagami— wearing a very L-like smile on his face.

"Sweet Hell… he really _does_ look just like me…." L brought started biting his thumbnail nervously.

"You know…" B saw the nervous look on L's face. "There's always been a rumor around Wammy House that a certain genius had a little too much fun on his 14th birthday. A group of kids apparently put something fun in his drink during a Halloween party and it made him do… 'crazy' things. But I guess you wouldn't know— or remember— anything about that, would you?" B suddenly laughed hysterically at the dumbfounded look on L's face.

"Beyond Birthday, don't be ridiculous. Near is not my offspring. I think I would know if I experienced sexual pleasure at that—" L stopped after he realized he had said the exact same thing to Raine after their first sexual encounter (which of course, he couldn't remember). L glared at nothing in particular. "Near is not mine. Leave it at that, B."

If anything at all, B had managed to distract L from his anger. _'I can help you rebuild your walls. Perhaps then you'll be a worthy opponent again_— and Kira will be completely out of the picture_.'_

"Well, there you have it! You took off your mask! Now what were you going to show us?" Matsuda apparently didn't work too well in the presented level of stress.

"Matsuda, don't be so pushy." Ide tried to calm him rather than Light this time.

"I'm sorry," said Near, "Please just wait a while longer."

"Wait again? What are we waiting for now?"

Near smiled. "For the one who will complete our circle to come. He'll definitely come and we are waiting for him. This building is a sealed room, and only by opening that door can one see inside. For sure… he'll come through that door— or at least try to peep in from it."

"Who are you saying is coming?"

"Generally speaking, no one except the people here now have been told about this place— which is why the one coming is the person working under Kira." Near held up his finger puppet of X-Kira. "X-Kira was told about this place by Kira himself. Mr. Aizawa, you always kept an eye on L, even after Takada's death, right?"

L balled his fists up as tightly as he could. "Stop calling him that."

"You mean calling Light Yagami 'L'?" B chimed in cheerfully. "Who would have thought that L and Kira are the same person. I, for one, thought—"

"That's enough." L was stern. "I've waited too long for this day. I don't want any more distractions. From this point on, I'm ignoring you."

B tried to look hurt. "Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine." B said it again.

"Fine."

"Whatever."

"Whatev—" L slowly turned his head toward B and gave him his version of a death stare.

B then smiled and waved. "Hi!"

Clearly frustrated, L forced his attention back to the Kira conversation. Aizawa had confirmed Near's question, leaving it open for Near to make his point. "In that case, there's no doubt he'll come. Kira was using Takada to contact X-Kira. On the night the time, date and place for this meeting were settled, L and Takada met. It was through him that L told X-Kira the date. However, neither I nor L were aware of Mello kidnapping Takada. With Takada's death, L lost his means to communicate with X-Kira. He could no longer send an 'abort coming' message. In fact, there would be no point to such a message. For each of our respective scenarios to play out, he couldn't afford changes."

"How can you possibly be sure that L is Kira?" Now Matsuda was saying it.

"Stop saying that." L almost growled.

Near went on to explain his theory and what he intended to do to prove it. The task force members scoffed at the idea of letting X-Kira write their names down while they stood by and waited to die. At one point, Aizawa went so far as to suggest that Near was actually Kira. Regardless of the accusation, Aizawa still agreed to do what Near said. Reluctantly, the others followed Aizawa's lead. Aizawa had always been L's favorite of the task force, second to Soichiro. Aizawa had highly disliked L, of course, but L expected it.

It didn't take much longer for Teru Mikami to show up. He opened the door just enough to peep though it. His eyes moved to every individual in the room, stopping on Light Yagami. The absence of a visible lifespan was all Mikami needed to confirm. "God!"

Almost immediately, Mikami began writing down the names of everyone in the room—save for Light Yagami— as the members of the task force tried to wait nervously. Matsuda was the one to crack. "T—this is bad you guys! If our names are really being written down at this very moment, then we needlessly—"

Matsuda pulled out his gun, only to have the SPK members pull out their guns as well. "Please don't move."

Matsuda was dumbfounded. "W—what kind of stupid…"

"It's okay. We won't die. Please, just stay where you are." Near sounded confident. It's fine. Even if your name is being written down, you won't die. And with this, the shadow over Kira will be unveiled."

"A-and how can… you say we won't die, Near?" Aizawa was trying his best to keep himself calm.

Near picked up his tiny notebook toy. "I modified the notebook. I replaced the pages when I was in direct contact with the notebook. The one outside now, the person judging for Kira, was writing precisely one page per day. Even if he writes our names, we won't die because I replaced the page set for today and thereafter."

L could see the gleam in Light's eye. He could see light was silently claiming his victory. Near had just explained his original plan, the plan he had put into play and counted on for victory. It was just like the game of Go he and L had played. All of Nears actions had been so clean, organized… and painfully predictable. Had Mello not have thrown in a single moment of chaos, Near's plan would have ended in everyone's death.

It had been such a close game. And still, even knowing what the result would be, L still couldn't bring himself to stop hating Light Yagami. Even if Light were to be brought to justice that day, it wouldn't be enough. Even if Light were to die right there… it still just wasn't what L needed to move on.

Light Yagami glanced at the door, fighting a smile of triumph. "Whoever's outside, are you done writing the names?"

"Yes, I am."

Near was coiling up for the strike. "Isn't it a little strange? Why does he answer your question 'Are you writing down the names' so honestly?"

Light answered cunningly. "Who knows? Maybe he's an honest guy or maybe he has some room to spare. Maybe your plot has been seen through…" Light raised his voice. "Teru Mikami, if you don't mind, would you come in please? Teru Mikami, right? Don't just hide there. Come inside."

Near chimed in. "Teru Mikami. I know you're taking over Kira's judgments now. If you wrote down the names, there's nothing to fear, is there? Please, come in. You at least want to join with Kira, don't you?"

With that, the door was pushed open. The crazed look in Mikami's eyes was the same look L had seen on Light at the cemetery. 'Teru Mikami. He was once on the path of the straight and narrow— just like Light Yagami. It just goes to show; even the most well-meaning people have a dark side. It's human nature. The true challenge is keeping it in check. But… once one lose themselves to it, is there anything left of the former? Anything at all?' It had been a question long nagging at L's mind.

Kira addressed his most loyal follower. "How long has it been since you wrote down the first person's name?"

"Three seconds left! 36, 37, 38, 39…"

It was then that L heard the words that he had so desperately wanted. He had worked so hard to pull a confession out of Light Yagami, but had died in vain. Now— NOW he could finally hear it. "Near, victory is mine."

Light Yagami enjoyed rubbing his opponent's face in their own defeat. He found the urge irresistible. It made the win worth even more. L knew this about Light's personality. Though he had not witnessed the deaths of Ray Penber and Naomi Misora, L was more than sure that Light had arrogantly used their own defeat as their final fatal blow. And even here, as Light was confident he had won, he had to make sure that Near _knew_ he had been defeated. It wasn't enough that Near just die.

Even more satisfying than hearing Light's confession, a full minute passed with no deaths. An almost euphoric feeling overcame L as he studied the expression on Light's face.

"W—we… didn't die. One minute passed… and we didn't die." Matsuda and the others looked themselves over in disbelief.

"Which is why I said we wouldn't— many times over." Near's expression had not changed.

Mikami appeared to be in even bigger disbelief. "W—why? Why won't they die?" He looked to Light and addressed him. "G—God… I— I only did as you wished…"

Near gave the order. "Rester, Giovanni, detain Mikami." Within seconds, Mikami was being apprehended, his notebook falling to the floor. "Giovanni," commanded Near, "Hand me the notebook." "

Everyone, please confirm this with your own eyes." Near held up the notebook so everyone could see it. "The first four names are without a doubt the SPK members' real names. And.. the only one here without their name written down is Light Yagami. Mikami called you 'God' and said he did as you said. It's settled."

L beamed with pride. Had Light not been screaming "Trap, it's a trap!", the room's occupants may have just heard L's proud whisper. "Near… "

Light in the meantime, had completely lost his cool demeanor. "This is a trap! In order for Near to frame me, he devised a trap! Isn't it strange, writing the names in the notebook and not dying? That proves that this is a trap!"

"I told you that I modified it so we didn't die, didn't I? Near remained unshaken by Light's sudden outburst.

"N—no… you… you are— no… I can't believe it…" Light looked over at Mikami. "It's a trap! I don't even know that guy!"

Hearing those words from his savior cut through Mikami's heart like a sword. He hung his head down in defeat. "God."

"Light…" Aizawa had rested his hand on Light's shoulder. "It's already too late. Near won. You just said 'victory is mine'. How much more of a confession do we need?"

Mogi walked over to Light and took his wrist to cuff it. "S—stop it!" Light jerked away and stumbled to the right side of the room.

B started to laugh, while L looked on. "What will you do now, Light Yagami? What will you do?"

"Light Yagami… L… Kira… you lose." Near was moving in to claim his win. "Just now, you proclaimed victory. Granted… originally you had won and I had lost. You had Mikami using a fake notebook all this time. All along, showing it to us as the real thing. You read as far as 'my altering the notebook so even if my name were written I wouldn't die' and proceeded forward. We successfully did just as you predicted and altered the fake notebook. Secretly changing the pages of the notebook so that we wouldn't die even if our names were written, and then taking that as evidence… that was my original plan. And making us purposely take that plan… having the notebook I altered be a fake, then having Mikami use the real notebook to kill everyone— that was your plan."

"When said in the beginning I had altered the notebook, it applied to the real one as well. In other words, the real notebook and the fake one have both been altered. The fake one had just a part of it altered while the real one was replaced entirely." Near suddenly pulled another notebook out of his jacket. "This is the real notebook. Giovanni made the fake one for us in one night. Whether or not we would make it in time for the switch was the key."

Light was speechless, so Near continued. "Because I've touched the real notebook, I've been able to see the shinigami ever since you guys walked in here. Shinigami, it's nice to meet you. I'm Near."

It wasn't hard to see that Ryuk was enjoying the whole scene immensely. "It's nice to meet you too! I'm Ryuk!"

"Ryuk…" Near replied, "I believed up until today that shinigamis were skull faced and carried a scythe."

"Well, there are those kinds too." Ryuk laughed his smoker's cough of a chuckle.

"Hey, that's me! He's talking about me!" B chimed in happily, despite the fact he couldn't be heard. He looked at L and smiled. "I can make my face look like a skeleton's, you know. Here, watch this!"

L refused to look at B's transformation. Instead he continued to focus on Light and sighed. "You can't make anything enjoyable can you, B?"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" B sounded hurt.

L ignored B, instead choosing to listen to Near's question to Ryuk. "If you look closely at this notebook, there are traces of a number of pages being ripped out. Does that mean that if someone's name were written on those ripped out pages, they would die?"

"Yeah," replied Ryuk nonchalantly, "They'd die."

"Ripped pieces can be used as well… I wonder just how many people you killed, and how many times you fooled us by this means, Light Yagami?" Near pointed at Light with an accusing finger. "Light Yagami, you are Kira."

It all made sense now. _'So Light used a hidden piece of the Death Note to kill Higuchi. That I'm now certain of. It worries me though. If Light Yagami can use torn pieces to kill people, then he could very well have a piece in his possession now. That means he could still win.' _L frowned. 'I'll have to watch him carefully. If he tries to use a piece, I'll have to intervene— regardless of the consequences.'

Light Yagami was no doubt backed in a corner, trying get his thoughts together. He began to question a betrayal on Mikami's part; yet Near interrupted the thought, leaving Light to wonder if Near was telepathic. "You're wrong. It was all thanks to Mello. Knowing you, that's all you'll need to put two and two together."

L watched Light intently as Near explained how Mello had made Near's win possible with Takeda's kidnapping. Mello had sacrificed everything to bring Kira down. He was without a doubt, the other half of L's legacy. L had not had the chance to be with Mello on the day he died. He managed to hold on to a small shard of hope that perhaps Mello had managed to escape his body though the use of solar energy.

L forced his concern to the back of his mind and focused again on Light as he listened to Near, who was still explaining how Mello had changed the outcome of everything. "It's probably true that he believed he would get ahead of me with his actions. But Mello's actions were not just that. Even if Mello couldn't surpass me…"

Near paused, and then repeated himself. "Couldn't surpass me… Mello was always trying to be number one and said that surpassing me meant surpassing L. But he knew… he knew that _I_ could never surpass L. Perhaps I lacked dynamics, while Mello lacked composure. In other words, by ourselves, there was no way either of us could ever hope to surpass L. But together…" Near held up the finger puppets of himself and Mello, followed by L. "Together we are as able as L! Together we can surpass L! And now… the Kira who L was not able to bring up any evidence against, the Kira L lost too… We have concrete evidence on!"

L looked slightly depressed by Near's words, though he knew them to be true. "Ouch." It was all he could say.

Near glared at Light. "If you can talk your way out of this, by all means please do."

It was at moment that the monster that had taken over Light Yagami fully emerged with its madness. Kira erupted into a mad cackle— one that made even Beyond Birthday cringe. "Wow. He really is a crazy bastard, isn't he? No wonder you're so in love with him."

L quickly cut his eyes in annoyance at B. "In love, am I?"

Kira's mad laughter echoed throughout the room, lasting for what seemed like a lifetime. Once he finally gained his composure, the words L had been dying to hear were finally delivered. "That's right. I am Kira."

The attention was all on Light. It was his moment and his alone, despite the fact he had just given both Near and L a reason to wear a smile— while the members of the task force stood gaping in shock. Kira's smile was even bigger. " In that case, what will you do? Kill me here? Listen, I am Kira, and also… God of the new world. Are you going to kill me? Is that really okay? Catching Kira in the past may well have been justice; however, it is now clearly a crime. The peoples' will has changed. Or is it just that you want the personal satisfaction of catching Kira? It's been six years since Kira's first appearance. War no longer exists. All brutal crimes have nearly died, and worldwide crime has been reduced by 70%. However, the world is still despicable. There are too many rotten people. Therefore, the world must be rid of them. "

Light ended up delivering a sermon of what made Kira true justice. He ended it with "Think about it. Do you want to return to a rotten world? Do you want to take back the changing thoughts of the people? Even you should understand. There are people in this world that we would clearly be better off without. If it's justifiable to kill harmful pests, then why is it wrong if I kill harmful people? Is it really best to destroy Kira here? Would it really be beneficial to the world? Isn't it only serving to satisfy yourself— for the sake of your own ego? If it's just to avenge L… that in itself is the stupidest course of action. The person you see before your eyes may be Kira, but also the God of the new world!"

"No…" said Near coldly, "You are just a murderer. And this notebook is the deadliest killing device in all of history. If you were a normal person, if you had used this notebook just once and seen the extent of its power, you would have been horrified by what could be brought about with it. You would have feared it, and regretted what you had done. You never would have used it a second time. You lost yourself to the shinigami and the power of the death note, mistakenly thinking you could become God, but in reality, you're just a crazy mass murder. That's all you are… nothing else."

Light Yagami glared at Near hard. "Near…You're the one that's mistaken. I am already justice."

"That may be so. What is right from wrong? What is good from evil? Nobody can truly distinguish between them— even if there is a God. Now suppose a God and his word in fact existed— even then, I'd stop and think for myself. I'd decide for myself whether his teachings were right or wrong. Afterall, I am just the same as you. I put faith in my own convictions as to what I believe is right and consider them to be righteous. You are most certainly no 'God' for one— and having you tell people how to live their lives, and how to act accordingly is neither peace nor justice as far as I'm concerned. And what about what the others think? What do they believe to be right? What do they feel is _true_ justice?"

The looks on the other's faces told Kira everything. Desperate, he developed a ploy about the possibility of the notebook Aizawa was carrying being a fake. He turned around as he was talking, and quickly clicked his watch open. Both L and an SPK member screamed at the same time. "There's a piece set in his watch!"

Surprisingly, Matsuda's quick draw and shooting was faster than L. The bullet struck Light's hand before L could. Light groaned and slumped over in pain as L turned to Matsuda. "Matsuda…"

Seconds later, Light was screaming. "Matsuda, you idiot! Who do you think you're shooting? Don't fuck with me!"

"You're father? What did your father die for?" Matsuda kept his finger on the trigger.

Kira's answer was a cold one— one that he used as a last effort to buy him time. Quickly, he began finishing Near's name by writing with his own blood.

"He's using his blood!"

The scream was quickly phased out with the sound of more gunshots. AS Light fell to the ground, Matuda rushed up to him with his gun in a mad rage. "I've got to kill him! He has to die!"

"Stop it, Matsuda!"

"You've got to calm down!"

Aizawa and Mogi pulled Matsuda back, causing his final bullet to hit the floor directly beside Light's head.

"Mikami, write their names! Where's Misa? Where's Takada? Someone… kill them all!" Light's calls went unanswered. Even Teru Mikami was helpless. L was watching the entire scene intently. His emotions were many on both ends of the spectrum—yet the overall tragedy of it all seemed to be taking away his hatred. He found that he no longer felt anger, but rather a numbing feeling in the core of his sole.

B had enjoyed the whole show beyond words. "It's about to get even better, L! See Mikami over there? His halved lifespan is about to expire! I might not have any obligation to take his soul since he used the death note, but that doesn't mean I can't still have a little fun!" B quickly made his way over to Mikami and whispered something in his ear before quickly running his hand over his shoulder. As soon as B released his shoulder, Mikami took his pen and stabbed himself, leaving B in his usual mad fit of laughter as Mikami's blood started pouring out.

L shook his head at B and sighed. "This is very quickly turning into a twisted circus."

From the corner of his vision, L caught sight of Light pulling himself out the door. Mikami was serving as the perfect distraction for Light's escape. "Light? Light!" L followed Light out the door. There was still time— time to forgive and move on, but that time was very quickly running out. What was worse… L still wasn't completely sure he could do it.

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** Until next time...**


	12. To Forgive

**A/N: Okay, so I'm a liar. I said this would be the final chapter when in fact, it's not. It was very close, but there's still two final scenes to write that just didn't seem to fit here. I hope this chapter is better than the last chapter. I admit I'm in a bit of a rush to finish this, and I'm sorry for that. My fanfiction bug has sort of died, and now all I really want to do is write my book. I'm trying as hard as I can to do justice to the rest of this story.**

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"It isn't a pleasant experience, is it? To die as your worst enemy looks down on you?" They had ended up in yet another empty building. It seemed to be the perfect backdrop for the everyday battles of a human existence- the building representing the body, the emptiness representing the soul, and the two opponents battling it out representing the conscious. Only the winner of each battle gets to decorate the place. Fill the emptiness with volume, mass and color—only then will the building be complete.

"Do you know what this empty building is telling us, Light?" L stood over the severely wounded Light Yagami, still feeling the numbness that had replaced his rage. "It's saying our war is over—and showing us the finished product. The battles are over, yet there were never any true winners. No one won the war, Light. And the building—we're leaving it exactly the way we found it… empty."

L hesitated, not fully sure if Light was even conscious enough to hear him. He was surprised to hear Kira still had enough life in him to reply in a broken whisper. "You're… wrong… L. I… I was so… close…"

L closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm afraid we can't continue this way. There isn't enough time. Kira… I need to talk to Light Yagami. I need to make contact with the bored teenager whose one major character flaw opened the door to the monster I'm talking to now."

L wasn't sure if it could be done, but he had to try it. A dream tap—there was no other way to do it, but would it even be possible? Under normal circumstances, all it took for L to enter someone's dream was by placing his fingertips on the sleeping individual's eyes lids. Light, however, was awake—eyes wide open.

"This is going to be awkward, but we've been in worse situations." Quickly, L literally poked Light Yagami in the eyes, his watery fingers merging with the water that made up Light's eyeballs. To L's surprise, they seemed to be pulling him in. L attempted to jerk his hand back, only to be pulled in further. "W-what's going on?"

L could feel the invisible particles that held his human form together quickly separating. He was reverting to his water form; and every drop was being absorbed into Light's body. "No… no… NO!"

By the time L had made it to the third 'no', he was no longer in the empty building—but rather, a world of very dull light. The place was gradually growing darker—as though someone was playing with a dimmer switch. In the distance, L could hear calls of distress, but he was having difficulty placing the exact location of the calls. The scenery never changed, no matter what direction he walked in or how far he went. It was no different than the dark forest that had once enchanted Raine's world. Not only that, but there was something else familiar about his surroundings. L couldn't recall what else it reminded him of.

The source of the voice managed to find l before he could find it. L felt something tugging hard at his ankles, but he only saw darkness when he looked down to see what it was. The voice itself was easy enough to hear. As L had anticipated, it belonged to Light Yagami. His voice had been reduced to a pitiful and pleading whimper. "I should have left it there…. I never should have picked it up… why… why didn't I just keep walking, Ryuzaki?"

L's bottom lip quivered slightly. A new feeling was starting to stab through the numb coating his anger had left behind. It was a distant, yet very familiar feeling. L was sympathetic. The feeling couldn't have been more sincere; and with it, went the feeling of helplessness—which was the one feeling powerful enough to bring the detective to his knees in most cases.

L stood still, making sure not to disturb the figure that was currently hugging his feet. "Light… I'm afraid I can't answer that."

"Help me, Ryuzaki! I don't want to die! Please!"

"You know I can't."

"You're lying! You know you can! Please, Ryuzaki, I'm scared! I can't die!"

L knew Light well enough to know that he wasn't crying because he felt remorseful of his actions. Light's sorrow and fear were completely self absorbed. That much, L understood. Never the less, it didn't change how L currently felt. "Light Yagami… please answer me this one question truthfully. You have nothing left to win or lose. Just be honest with me this one time… tell me who—no, tell me _what_ you are."

There was a brief moment of silence, save for the occasional sob heard in the darkness. "What do you _think _I am, Ryuzaki? I'm... I'm a human being. A human being! Not perfect by any means, but I can feel! Damn it, I have feelings! Why? Why won't you help me?"

Fearing his voice would crack with emotion, L waited a moment before answering. "And for that reason… for that reason alone… Light Yagami… I forgive you."

"T-That isn't what I need! That isn't what I need and you know it! Damn it, help me! I don't want to die! I don't want to die like this! I don't…"

All was silent, and what little light was left had gathered itself in the distance. "It's out of my hands, Light. I'm…sorry."

There was no reply. L bowed his head down in a surprising moment of grief. It was then he realized something. 'Wait a minute! I know why this place is so familiar now. This is just like before… just before I fought my way out of my own body! Somehow, I'm trapped in Light's body! I have to get out of here before-"

L began feeling dizzy, as though all of his strength were being sucked out of him. Just as before, the darkness around him began to cave in—like invisible walls of thick gelatin closing in on him from every side. The only beam of light remaining was the famous 'light at the end of the tunnel'. It was the only sense of direction L had.

With every last bit of his strength, L rushed toward the light. "I think there's been a miscommunication, Light! When I said 'I forgive you', that didn't mean I intended on following you into death!" L was beginning to slip into a state of panic as he ran toward the shrinking light. It was in fact about to close, and if that happened before L could get out—he was once again in danger of meeting his final death. "I'm not going to make it! This can't be happening!" He was quickly running out of energy—or lifespan. Just as he was sure he wouldn't make it—when the light had reduced itself to the size of a laser pointer beam—his entire being felt a sudden jilt.

When L regained his senses, he was back in the empty building, at the foot of the stair case where Light Yagami's corpse now rested. Out of old living habit, L was panting and gasping for air to fill his 'lungs.' Eventually, he noticed the dark figure sitting a few feet away from him.

That dark figure didn't appear very happy. "Idiot."

"B… what just happened?"

"You mean the Sherlock rip off can't put it together? You don't just dream tap a dying spirit! It'll pull you into its own death in one last attempt to acquire more lifespan. It's suicide!"

"So then… you saved me? Death… saved me?"

B replied by mumbling something inaudible. The cheerfully insane and carefree mood he had been in during the Near and Kira showdown had completely vanished.

"In all honestly, I'm not really comfortable with it either, but thank you all the same."

"Yeah, sure. Well, I hate to rush, but I have places to go, people to kill—"

"Is there a problem? Your mood has completely changed from earlier."

"I don't care to discuss it— especially not with you."

"Your theory about the Death Note was wrong, wasn't it? It isn't powerful enough to hold the souls of its victims, just as it isn't powerful enough to fully finish off a reaper stuck in a human body."

There was no answer from B—which only made L confirm to himself that he hit the nail on the head. L studied B for a while before drawing another conclusion. "You're in love with Naomi Misora, aren't you?"

"I am not!" The mention of her name had apparently infuriated him. "She was my pawn—my puppet—my favorite toy! A reaper does not love!"

"That's interesting B, because the way I hear it, death spirits are fully capable of loving—to the extent of turning themselves to sand to protect that love."

"Whatever. It's not like it even matters. She's gone."

"For what it's worth, B— I feel your pain. Watari's name was written in those pages as well."

"Pfft. What did you expect? I warned you about the eyes, and you ignored it. And it's one thing to put yourself into a position where you have no other choice but to show your face, but you never had any reason to make Wammy reveal his as well. It's your own fault the old man died."

L hung his head down shamefully. "I know that."

So much had happened that day, L felt exhausted. In the course of a few hours, L had been taken on an emotional rollercoaster ride, straight out of Hell. He felt like a lone survivor of a brutal war— crawling out of the debris. All he really yearned for now was sleep_. _His experience in Light Yagami's body had left him very weak._ 'All I need are the notebooks… and then I'm going back to that cave. Hopefully, I can sleep for another couple of decades.'_

Though his exhaustion made him a little sluggish putting his thoughts together, L suddenly realized that B could still have the notebooks. "B… if you've already tested the notebooks, then who has them now?"

"L version 2.0 has them. Both of the notebooks have been surrendered to him. The kid never even knew I was there."

"I see. There's still something I don't comprehend, however. Why did you wait until now to test the notebooks? You obviously had access to them beforehand, or you wouldn't have put that shield around them."

"I wasn't in that big of a hurry. I've already told you I'm not in love with Naomi Misora, have I not? There was no rush. All I really wanted was to play a new game. Putting a spirit repealing shield around the notebooks was just a way to annoy you. I decided not to test them right away because I wanted to save all of the suspense for the finale— which you totally ruined!"

L looked confused. "What exactly did I ruin?"

"You ruined the battle for the notebooks! Even the shinigami was hoping to see us battle it out, but seeing as how you were too busy chasing after your lover boy, that didn't happen. Ryuk wrote Kira's name in his notebook and left, since you obviously bailed out of the final game!"

"B… you truly are insane. The great lengths you go to just to set up a perfect battle is completely unreasonable. What would have even come from such a battle if the worse we can do is seal the other away into dormancy?"

"The ending result would have still resulted in a winner and a loser. That's all I need."

"In truth, I would have welcomed being sealed away for a while. I'm very tired. And for the record— Light Yagami was not my 'lover' as you call it. And don't even try to suggest that my unintended merge with his body counted as an intimate encounter."

"Yeah, whatever L. Either way, the notebooks are yours now. I have no interest in them anymore. You just wait though Adian, I'll find another game for us to play. And next time, I won't let you ruin it. You'll see me again real soon, water sprite." With that, Beyond Birthday dematerialized into nothing.

L remained where he was. He couldn't bring himself to turn around and look at Light Yagami's corpse. He was too afraid his emotions would start acting up again, and at that moment, it was the last thing he needed. Now, he felt peace. With Kira's end, a huge weight had been lifted off of L's shoulders. And the calm after the storm was the result of L's ability to forgive him. Had he not found it in him to overcome his hatred, L knew his emotional outcome would have been very different.

'_I suppose the only thing left to do is retrieve the notebooks. My only remaining obstacle…. Is Near.'_

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**See you again soon...**


	13. The Boy is Mine?

**A/N: Aggh! Once again, this isn't the last chapter! I'm not going to say this time that the next one will be, because I still have two scenes left and I don't know how well they will transition if they are both in one chapter. Anyway, another short and quick one. Enjoy!**

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The marble track was one of the most elaborate L had ever seen. It wasn't surprising that Near was the only living person present in the room. There was no room for anyone else to fit without running the risk of knocking part of the track down. Standing on a small step ladder, Near carefully dropped a sky blue marble at the beginning of the track, watching it intently as it rolled down the track; stopping at the trigger that activated the release of another marble.

Each trigger set off another marble on a different track. L's eyes followed the marbles with half interest. Because there was such little space left in the room, L's ghostly figure stood directly through part of the track. He almost swore he could feel a tickle when one of the marbles passed through him. The full course took a little less than 2 minutes to complete.

L watched as Near went through and reset the triggers. It would be his 18th time watching the whole cycle. L was eager to collect the Death Notes so it could all finally be over, yet he had been standing there all afternoon— watching Near play with his toys. Thanks to the harassing suggestions of Beyond Birthday, something was deeply troubling him.

'_It's understandable that I didn't notice when observing him through the monitors. The depth of certain facial features just can't be fully observed with a limited camera angle. When I played Go with him that day at Wammy House, my mind was too preoccupied with my own personal problems to care. But when he removed that mask and I saw that smile… and I can't shake this feeling that he knows I'm here— that he was actually staring at me in that warehouse. That night so many years ago when I was drugged by my peers… what happened?' _

L shook his head slightly_. 'No… Watari wouldn't keep a secret like that from me. He would have told me if I had conceived a child. He wouldn't have concealed such a thing. At least… I don't think he would have done such a thing. There most certainly would have been plenty of justifiable reasons in his mind to hide it, but he wouldn't have actually_—_ No… this is little more than a concern created by the power of suggestion. That's why I didn't notice it when I saw Near in person the first time. I see myself in Near now only because B suggested it. It's only another sick way for B to toy with me.'_

B had indeed succeeded in planting the idea into L's head. It was a cruel battle tactic— yet it was more than effective. Beyond Birthday knew that as a new and immature spirit, L was very vulnerable. The emotions of a spirit were so strong and raw that they were practically impossible to conceal. The fall of L's emotional barriers had left him wide open for an assault; and B had taken full advantage of it.

"Near… can you hear me? Can you hear me at all?" L waited for what seemed like hours, but a reply never came. More time went by. Near simply went about his business, playing with his marble track. L glanced up at the clock on the wall and narrowed his eyes. _'I've been standing here for 6 hours? Surely, the clock is just—'_

"Don't you want them?"

L almost jumped at Near's voice. "…Near… you—"

"You've been standing there for hours. What is it exactly you're waiting on?" Near didn't actually meet L eye to eye. Near looked almost as though he was in another world as he strolled over to a lock box and retrieved the two Death Notes— dodging and ducking under his elaborate marble track the whole while. He tossed the notebooks into L's direction without an upward glance. L was surprised he didn't knock the track over with such a careless throw. "I believe these are yours now… Dad."

L's eyes grew wider than a cartoon character's. He tried to speak, but the shock was just too much. As if growing impatient, Near sighed slightly and retrieved a small bottle of lighter fluid—along with a box of matches— from his coat pocket. "If you don't want them, then I suppose I'll just have to destroy them myself." Near squeezed the bottle of lighter fluid over the notebooks; yet it didn't appear any fluid was coming out. Not seeming to notice, he then pulled a match out of the box and ignited the small red tip.

All the while, the word 'Dad' had been echoing in L's mind repeatedly— as if it were the only word that existed in any human language. It wasn't until L saw the flame that he snapped out of his shock. "That— that's not a flame. It isn't of this world of all! What's going on?"

L was right; it wasn't a flame from the natural world. As soon as the match fell on the notebooks, the flame literally screamed and grew to a size that consumed the entire room. The blast had completely disappeared not even a second afterward. The flame had been more like a flash of light. Much to L's surprise, the room and mass it held were all still very much intact. The only thing L could see that had changed was a couple of notebooks now burning on the open concrete floor. The fire was just as natural as the flame of elemental fire.

L couldn't get his thoughts together. He had no idea what had just happened. Lost and confused, L put both of his hands on the side of his head and slightly rocked back and forth. He felt as if he were going into a full breakdown. As if being addressed as 'dad' weren't enough, he apparently was the father of a supernatural oddity. Near appeared more than willing to break the silence. "Well, father… I suppose we're finished here. Now if you don't mind, I have a ridiculously large amount of custom made toys that I'd very much like to get back to— despite the fact that I'm now nearly a grown man."

L's thoughts were trying hard to function properly. 'W-what a very— 'father'— what a strange—'father'— what an odd thing for him— 'father'— to say.' L wanted to scream as loud as he could in all of his confusion and frustration. It was then that he heard the hysterical laughter of a child. L's focus immediately sharpened as he watched the spirit of Taramik step out of Near's body. Taramik continued to cackle like a tickled preschooler while Near stood near the burning notebooks— rubbing his temple as though he had just experienced a moment of memory lapse.

L still couldn't bring himself to speak, which made Taramik laugh even harder. "You know what, Adian? I've seen a lot of interesting things in my eternity, but the look that's been on your face for the past 4 minutes and 37.3 seconds will forever serve as a priceless memory. You're far too entertaining for your own good! Do you realize that? Anyone that can make a judge laugh this hard is very special indeed!"

Not fully able to grasp his newly emerging anger, L waited until Taramik's laughter had subsided until he said anything. "That was quite cruel, you know."

"What? You just expected me to wait around so you could drive yourself insane trying to figure out your true relation to your successor? It wasn't a very interesting show."

"It was you then that was addressing me as 'dad' and 'father'. You possessed Near just to pull a cruel prank. You're just as bad as the reaper. The two of you are one in the same."

Taramik simply smiled and shrugged. His magenta eyes shined in amusement. "And what would you do if he _were_ your offspring? Would you try and connect with him— make up for all of those lost years between father and son?"

L cut his eyes to the side as he rubbed the back of his head. "I actually haven't really thought ahead that far."

"Well don't bother, because he doesn't share your genetic code. The spirit inside of him is not that of an elemental's. He is however, a descendent of your father's original tribe of people— which isn't in itself very interesting. His bloodline has remained in the Mediterranean region throughout the ages for the most part— nothing interesting there at all. What's really interesting is his mother's side. Would you like to know where the white hair came from?"

L was in the process of opening his mouth to speak when Taramik cut him off to finish. "His maternal ancestors have had several run-ins with beings from our world in the past— similar to your mother and father's relationship— and even that of the shinigami's falling in love with humans. He's actually the last one of his mother's bloodline. However, since I've never been fond of telling stories, I'll leave you to research it on your own. You are a detective, after all. You can find the puzzle pieces all on your own."

"You had to spark my curiosity, didn't you?"

"That's what I'm here for, Adian. Keeping you on your toes ensures my continuous entertainment."

L sighed loudly. "What is it with spirits having to constantly be entertained?"

"You'll understand when you're older. Trust me." To hear a child form say such a thing to an adult form was enough to make L smirk. At the same time, it crawled all over his ego.

"Small talk aside, I'm assuming those notebooks are now useless to the human world."

"You'd be correct. I've stripped the notebooks of their power."

"Which was done with that little light show I just saw…"

"Yes. Natural fire would not have been able to burn them otherwise."

"Then it's done? I can move on?"

"Whatever you want for now. You'll very soon have your hands full with the reaper, so you might want to grab a quick nap. I'll also require your services again should another object from our world fall into one of the mortal worlds."

"But I didn't do anything. You found and destroyed the notebooks all on your own just now before I could retrieve them."

"You were taking too long. I trust this won't happen again as your future missions shouldn't be as personal. I for one try to avoid traveling to mortal worlds whenever possible, which is why I would prefer to send you instead."

"That's just lazy."

"No, it's smart."

L couldn't help but raise narrow his eyes in question. Taramik apparently had no intention of explaining why it was 'smart'.

Taramik turned to look at Near once more, who had started opening windows to get the small amount of smoke out of the room. "He really does look like you, doesn't he? But then again, there are only so many features that can go around the human race. Not a wide variety of skin tones or natural hair and eye color… and don't even get me started on the dull list of facial features. All of you look alike, honestly. It's no wonder your kind goes to such great lengths to clothe themselves with strange fashions. How else can you tell one from the other? I've known much more colorful creatures in other worlds." Taramik sighed as he slowly started to dematerialize. "I suppose what you humans lack in variety, you make up for with your wild emotion and general stupidity. It makes the humans by far one of the most interesting specimens in present existence."

"Our appearance can't be too terribly dull if you, yourself, wear a human form? Why show yourself as a human child? Why not an inter-dimensional alien? Wouldn't that be more colorful?" L's questions went unanswered, for Taramik had already made his exit. "I hate it when he does that."

L looked down at the pile of ashes as the last of the flames flickered. It wasn't long before Near extinguished the dying fire with a small cup of water. Near pulled the lighter fluid and matches out of his pocket and studied it. The look on his face was one of irritation. L couldn't help but sympathize. "Believe me, Near. I've felt your frustration. One of the most traumatizing things that can happen to a brilliant mind is a sudden and unexplained lapse of memory."

L was too tired to think of anything else to say, and that was alright. The Kira case was closed and now he could rest—at least, for the time being. Before he evaporated into a mist, L did manage to think of one last thing to say— something of great importance. "You're extraordinary, Near. Even if you're not my son… right now I'm carrying the pride of a proud father." As the mist of L floated over Near and toward the window, L almost swore he saw Near smiling.

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**The whole reason I did the "oh no, Near could be my son!" thing is because not only is the resemblance eerie, but Ohba had actually played around with Near and Mello's ages in the beginning because he was considering making them L's sons. I sort of wanted to tribute that original idea. According to the dates given in V.13, L was only 11 or 12 when Near was born. I know it isn't entirely impossible to conceive at that age, but I just don't want to portray that sort of scenario as it would sicken me. Sorry, but kids shouldn't be screwing at that age. I just can't accept it. See you next chapter!**


	14. The New Game

**A/N: Here it is- the final chapter. I hope it doesn't seem too rushed. I'm just really overly eager to conclude this so I can get to work on all of the other stuff I'm currently swammped with. I really hope you've enjoyed the story! I'd like to thank all of you for reading my work, even after this story went into hiatus for several months! Thank you! ^_^  
**

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One Year Later…

L's nap was a relatively short one. He had returned to the cave (where Raine's spirit rested) for a much needed rest after the close of the Kira case. He wasn't sure what it was that woke him up—he only knew that something had caused him to wake up with a sudden jolt— as a loud sound or night terror would wake a sleeping human.

He first checked on the orb that Raine's spirit inhabited— nothing out of the ordinary at all. With no desire to nap anymore, L decided to venture outside of the cave. Perhaps Taramik was hanging around again— waiting impatiently for either of the sleeping elementals to wake up so he could be entertained. Much to L's surprise however, Taramik was nowhere to be found. Certain he was alone, L yawned and stretched groggily— staring briefly back into the cave where Raine still slept. _'I know Raine has always been fond of sleeping in, but this is a little ridiculous.'_

L began to think of all the things he could do now that he was awake. The idea that appealed most to him was another visit to the ocean. His time there had been short lived when the Kira case was still in full swing, but now he was free to unite with the sea again. L yearned for it. He turned away from the cave, eager to leave. Instead of the open field however, his eyes were greeted by death itself.

"Good morning, Sunshine!" Beyond Birthday's red eyes glowed eagerly.

L cut his eyes to the ground briefly to shake away his surprise. "You know, B… you really aren't a pleasant thing to wake up to."

B flashed his reaper grin. "I love you too."

L narrowed his eyes as he tried to walk away. "Swell."

"Wait, wait." B grabbed L's shoulder, speaking in an amused tone. "Aren't you even the least bit curious as to why I'm here in your little 'domain'?"

"I'm trying really hard not to be."

"You know what? You are just _no _fun. I travel all this way just to tell you about the upcoming (soon-to-be best) Misa Amane show ever and you can't even greet me with a half-hearted 'hello'."

"You can't be serious." L's response was dry with a hint of annoyance.

"Oh, but I am! And there's a bonus surprise at the end— presented by yours truly! You've got to see it! It won't be any fun at all if you don't see it!"

"Sorry, but I already have plans."

"Aww." B poked his lip out playfully. "That really is a shame. I guess you're not on the 'must find a way to forgive' kick anymore. Your 'oh, so perfect' boy toy was apparently the only one worthy of your forgiveness."

L scowled. "I find it funny that you're so stuck on the fictional homoerotic relationship between L and Kira. It suggests to me that y—"

"I'm just going to stop you right there." A skeletal finger touched L's lips (which made L cringe). "If you don't want to see how Amane dies, I really don't care. I'm mainly using it as an excuse to get you into the human world again. There's something much more important I'd like to show you."

B finally had L's full attention. He pushed B's boney hand away from his face with his index finger with a hint of disgust on his face. "Misa Amane has reached the end of her life?"

"According to my death-dar, Captain." A devilish grin appeared on B's face as he shrugged. There was nothing more to say. L almost immediately disappeared as B released a quick laugh. "Your intelligence obviously never left that vital organ you called a brain, L. You've just played right into my hands. And while the cute little dying blonde keeps you distracted…" B turned his attention to the cave where L had been sleeping. "Let the games begin."

* * *

It was a cold and cloudy late afternoon. The sun was setting, though the clouds masked most of its color. L found himself on the roof of a 22 story building. He peered over the edge at the busy streets below. The day shift was ending, and people were scurrying about in steady lines of traffic. On the far right side of the ledge, he could see a young woman dressed in the Lolita fashion. She stood at the very edge—the toes of her shoes were already over.

She was standing there motionless—as if in a trance. Her eyes were fixed on the horizon, yet they were glassy—as if not really focusing on anything at all. L played with his mouth as he observed her. Misa Amane had played the most significant part in his own death—he had no doubt about that. Had Misa never entered the picture, Light Yagami would never have made it as far as he did.

Misa had been the backbone of Kira. Light Yagami had no way of finding out L's true name without the eyes of a shinigami. Without the second Kira and her supernatural ally, L – as a human— would have more than likely survived. It was for that reason that L had detested Misa. Yet, even in all of his bitterness and hatred, something powerful was present- something that made L feel a deep sympathy for Misa Amane.

'_There aren't any reapers here to collect her soul; which only confirms Misa forfeited her existence the moment she used the Death Note. This is Misa's final death. However, it's still a reaper's job to make sure death is carried out at the proper time. After everything I've learned from the Kira case, it's very likely that B or another reaper has already visited Misa. Her manner of death was decided at that moment and her actions are now little more than death's manipulation.' _

Despite the almost uncontrollable urge, L knew better than to try and dream-tap a dying mortal again. Knowing that Misa wouldn't live to tell the tale, L decided to show himself. He appeared by her side— staring down at the distance that separated the two of them with the pavement below. "Misa Amane…"

Misa didn't acknowledge L's presence. There was no movement or change of breath. She didn't even blink. L had expected it. "I know you're still in there Misa. Even if you can't reply, I know you can hear me." With great care, he moved closer to her and put his arm around her. Perhaps it was to keep her from falling until she had heard what he had to say, or perhaps he was actually trying to show her a little compassion. L, himself wasn't sure which one it was.

"Misa…" L sighed lightly before he continued. "I've heard it said that more often than not, a person shares many of the same qualities with their worst enemy. That proved to be very true with me and Light. We were equal in intellect, both arrogant and childish— and above all… we were both liars." He cut his eyes away from Misa briefly. "The two of us also played tennis exceptionally well, but I suppose that example doesn't have as much relevance."

He paused long enough to see if there would be a response. When there was none, L continued. "You may find this as a surprise, but when applied to the two of us, the saying once again proves to be true. It may not be as obvious on the surface, but the things that you and I have in common are much more significant than those I shared with Light Yagami."

L leaned in close to Misa's ear and rested his brow right above it. "The single most important thing that you and I share, Misa… is knowing the pain of losing everything." As if savoring an emotional moment, L closed his eyes and nudged his nose into Misa's hair, which had very recently been washed. He loved the smell of a woman's freshly shampooed hair. When it came to bath products, women seemed to almost always prefer fruity or citrusy scents. It had always managed to drive L wild with desire whenever the girls at the orphanage brushed by him in the hallways.

Misa was not responding to L's invasion of personal space. Because of such, L had little reason to back off. "Believe it or not, I understand you, Misa. I lost both of my parents to a monster as well. I'm an orphan, just like you are." L pulled away from Misa slightly, biting his bottom lip. "You're actually quite lucky you didn't have to witness your family dying. I wasn't so fortunate. I'll never forget my mother's agonizing screams… or the look on her face when she died—the pain… and fear. I remember the way she gave my hand one last squeeze before the last ounce of life left her. Even after I lost my memories, it still haunted my dreams. The whole event stayed with me on a subconscious level. Now that I'm in spirit form, I remember every last detail with perfect clarity. I wanted the man who killed her to die. I wanted to see him suffer the way he had made her suffer. I wanted justice, yet I was powerless."

"I had so much hidden rage inside of me after that." L continued as if he were spilling his heart out to a therapist. He felt it was necessary to fully convey his point. "In fact, the only shred of humanity that remained in me was my overwhelming desire to protect those who were too weak to defend themselves. It was all I could do to compensate for the fact that I had failed to protect my mother. Overtime however, I grew so cold and indifferent towards humanity that even the ones I wanted to protect lost began to lose their value." L managed half of a smile. "I tried so hard to suppress that lingering desire, but my dreams wouldn't allow it. Her face was always there. And because I couldn't protect her, I instead focused on finding justice for her. On the outside, I remained indifferent to what I was doing. I made myself believe it was only a game, yet I know now that every case I solved in those years among the living—_every single one_—was justice for my mother."

L suddenly felt the muscles in Misa's shoulders tighten. Either she was about to jump, or she was actually reacting to what L was saying. L tightened his grip around her. "—but enough about me. Let's review your little sob story. You returned home from school one day to find the mutilated corpses of your entire family. You caught site of the killer just as he was escaping. Had you not been running late on that particular afternoon, you would have shared their faith." L paused briefly. "… yet something else we have in common…" Had it not been for the outside help of the elements—his dying father, Raine, and Onasisk— L would have died alongside his mother.

"You were all alone then. And just like me, a rage grew inside of you—one that would forever change you. Your loss left you feeling lonely and inadequate, so you worked hard to win the love and attention of people through pop culture. Your fans became your new family. You even began referring to yourself in third person because you needed the self-assurance that you were important— you were important enough to stay behind. You worked hard to build up your ego so you could fool yourself into not feeling survivor's guilt."

L paused only long enough to sigh. "—fooling yourself in order not to feel… yet something else we have in common. Wearing a mask in order to hide our inner insecurities and weaknesses—the list only grows. And then enters the savior. In my case, it was the one who rescued me from my fate. Through pure chance, I crossed paths with her two decades after my mother's death. I confess had it not been for my lingering desire to protect, I would have left her in that ally—or at best, dumped her at the nearest hospital or police station. Perhaps it was that, along with the vague memory of her face in my dreams that allowed me to care for her. Whatever the contributing factors may have been, I fell in love with my savior—just as you did with yours."

Though she remained silent, Misa's eyes slowly started to close. L considered absorbing the small tear that traveled down her cheek. In the end, he didn't. "Kira was your savior, Misa. He killed the man who murdered your family, and for the first time—you felt the victory of a type of justice. It's no surprise that you fell so deeply in love with Light Yagami— devoted your entire life to him. It's no different than my decision to spiritually unite with Raine. In the end our saviors are the only ones who are capable of pulling us out of the darkness. No one else can even begin to understand that unless they endure what we've had to endure.."

L's eyes widened when Misa started turning her head toward him. Her movement was slow and broken, as though she was a puppet fighting her puppeteer. Eventually, her eyes meet with L's. The dilation of her pupils appeared to be getting bigger, then smaller—yet the outdoor light remained unchanging. 'Interesting. She's trying to fight the reaper's manipulation.'

It was then that L began to understand what made Misa so special. Her soul was very strong—stronger than an average human's was supposed to be. Despite the fact there was no way she could win, she was strong enough to temporarily battle death's control. Perhaps that in itself was why two death spirits had managed to fall so deeply in love with her. Despite his general dislike of Misa Amane, L thought it almost a tragedy that such a soul was about to be erased from existence. He studied Misa's eyes for a while as they looked back at him. The emotion that poured out of them told L that Misa had been listening. He let go of her long enough to turn the rest of her body toward him and then placed his hands on her shoulders. His face was so close to hers, it looked like the sort of moment two lovers would share; though L's mind couldn't have been further away from romance.

He widened his eyes as he looked into hers. His tone was deep and serious, as a father's would be if he were lecturing a child. "You need to know that I understand you, Misa. I understand your feelings and I understand what motivates you. It's the things we have in common that give me a reason to be here with you in your last moments. You're standing on top of this building right now because you halved your lifespan for the sake of Kira— twice. You gave up everything for him—all the while thinking you were doing the right thing—not only because you loved him, but because your family's violent death left you with an unquenchable thirst for justice. You tried so hard to be everything you thought your savior wanted you to be, but it was never enough for him, was it? Your version of 'justice' couldn't be bothered by you. You've been found guilty for your crimes as the second Kira, and for that you've received your sentence. But understand this Misa…"

Misa's eyes were starting to glaze over again. She was losing her self-awareness. L held her chin so she couldn't turn away and spoke sternly. "Don't leave yet, Misa! You need to hear this!" He squeezed her shoulder as hard as a ghost could manage, hoping to keep her alert. "You are NOT guilty for surviving the deaths of your loved ones. Do you understand? My final words to you are…'let it go.' Let it go, Misa Amane. Let it go and rest."

Misa managed a very faint nod, but still said nothing. Tears were streaming down her face. L relaxed his hold on her shoulder, moving his lips just close enough to skim hers. "You're not alone anymore, Misa. Rest."

Slowly, L pulled back. Misa's eyes were like glass. The reaper's hold had finally won. With much more natural movement than before, Misa turned back to her original standing position. With the grace of a swan, Misa's slowly extended her arms and opened her hands. It was similar to the popular pose of the Virgin Mary. L knew it was time. Though his initial instincts told him to try and stop her, he knew any efforts would be wasted. He stuffed his hands into his ghostly pockets and waited. It was all he could do.

"Aokigahara." Her voice was very quiet, yet it was enough to pierce the eerie silence that cloaked the roof.

L was a bit taken aback. He hadn't been expecting her to speak. It took him a moment to reply. "Aokigahara?"

"Go to Aokigahara to find death. Take back what's yours." At almost the same moment the last word left her mouth, Misa fell forward and met her fate.

L couldn't move. He couldn't think. It was as if time had suddenly frozen. Even though he thought he had prepared for it, the shock of actually seeing someone in person commit suicide had jolted him. L stood in silence. He never heard the people below screaming at the body that had shattered on the pavement. There was no sound at all.

When L's thoughts finally found their way back to reality, he was greeted by the night sky. Transforming into a light haze, he floated over the side and peered down at the street lit sidewalk. Misa's body had been taken away. The area where her body landed had been taped off.

His spirit lingered in the area for a while longer. Eventually, the numb feeling left him; and he began to think about what Misa had said right before she fell to her death. "…'Go to Aokigahara to find death. Take back what's yours.' Why would she say something like that? Aokigahara was a thick forest located at the base of Mount Fuji. It was often called the 'suicide forest' due to the high number of suicides that occurred there. Though L would never know it, Aokigahara had been the location were Light had buried his notebook. It was more than worthy of its reputation as the forest of death.

There was no doubt that death could be found in Aokigahara, but there was more to it. _'She could barely keep herself aware enough to know I was talking to her, yet somehow she managed to calmly blurt out this riddle before letting herself fall?' _L's haze grew heavier. _'She was under the manipulation of a reaper, which means that message wasn't from Misa at all- it was planted on her. There's no doubt that the reaper who arranged Misa's death was B. 'Take back what's yours'… He said that he had something to show me, but… Damn it, B. What sort of game are you playing now?' _

* * *

The forest was black with night. The fact that there was little wildlife around made the forest quiet and eerie. L didn't immediately find B. The entire forest reeked with the presence of death. It made tracking B almost impossible. Though L managed to successfully locate several human corpses, it wasn't until dawn that he finally located the reaper.

Beyond Birthday was leaning against a large tree. Inches away from him hung the skeletal remains of a human. Death by hanging seemed to be the most popular method of death in Aokigahara. During his search however, L had managed to find a body in mid-decomposition phase that had died by what appeared to be seppuku. Seppuku was the samurai way to commit suicide—to slice through one's own stomach. L found it unnerving; but even more unnerving was the realization that he had rushed out of his own world so fast in his efforts to reach Misa Amane, he hadn't bothered to consider the possible consequences of leaving his enemy alone there.

B was quick to remind him of his mistake. "It really is sad, L. The Kira saga has long been over and yet, you're still so obsessed with it— you prioritize its cast members above those whom you supposedly hold dearest to you. Even I'm not _that_ much of a bastard."

L materialized into his human form. At this point, he knew exactly what he was dealing with. "I'm not particularly in the mood for games today, B. Can we not do this some other time?

"Why? Do you need time to mourn the loss of Amane? It was so easy to lead her into death. All I had to do was restore her memories of being the second Kira— not that she didn't already have enough to be depressed about."

"You gave her back her memories out of cruelty— I expected that much." L couldn't help but think of how memories could change a person's entire personality. When L had first met Raine, she couldn't recall anything about herself. It was in those first months that Raine seemed the happiest. As time progressed however, Raine's memories began showing up in her dreams— just as L's had done. The more she remembered— the more her dreams haunted her— the more she changed. Gradually, she became depressed, short tempered and foul mouthed. By the time her memories were fully restored and she realized that her past actions had indirectly resulted in the final death of Onasisk (not to mention her kidnapping ordeal); Raine's once frequent smile and cheerful demeanor had all but disappeared.

"Tell me something, L." B smiled his usual devilish grin. "If you had to choose between Misa Amane…" B paused long enough to hold out his hand. The object that appeared in B's palm confirmed what L had feared. "— and this very sad and weak little air spirit, which one would you pick?"

L choked back slightly, but somehow managed to maintain his calm composure. He knew that B wanted him to react with worry and outrage— just so he could laugh at L's lost ability to control his emotions. It wasn't a show L was willing to perform. He could feel himself literally steaming, which didn't get past B. "You're struggling so hard right now, aren't you?" B followed up his question with a mad cackle. "I'll admit though, I wasn't expecting you to go back to being cold mystery man this soon." B tossed the orb that held Raine up into the air like a ball several times. "I know what you want to do. You're over there thinking right now that there's a chance you're fast enough to snatch this orb while it's still up in the air. Do you want to try?"

L was very worried. Normally a soft sky blue, Raine's orb was looking very dull and cloudy. "B, please… I think she's sick. Just give her back to me. I'll play another game with you."

"Oh no, no, no! This game is going to be too much fun to just call it quits now. And you're right; by the way. She is indeed very, very sick. I'm not sure how long she'll last in this condition."

"You're stretching it." L almost growled. "You told me yourself a spirit can be confined to dormancy, but not killed."

B shook his bony index finger at L in reply. "Ah, ah, ah! I told you a spirit can't kill another spirit unless it's a judge or higher being. I never said there weren't other ways for spirits to die. This poor little breeze has lost her will to exist. The only reason she hasn't cut herself off from absorbing lifespan is because this orb has some sort of magic upon it that's forcing her to stay in existence. It doesn't look like it'll hold up for too much longer however, given its caster's current absence."

In that moment, L had found another reason to thank Taramik, though it saddened him to know that Taramik's magic was the only thing keeping Raine alive. _'Is that the reason he stayed in Raine's world for so long— so he could keep her from committing suicide?'_ Seeing Raine's condition made L slightly panic. "What do you want, B? Just tell me what the game is and I'll play, but only on the condition that the air spirit remains safe from you as well as herself. Otherwise, I'm turning around and leaving."

"Don't worry so much. I'm not going to do anything to quicken the pace of her final death. A little bird told me that you united with her, so if she dies— chances are, so will you. Then I won't have anyone to play with. I hope for your sake she snaps out of her depressed stupor. Then again… I suppose I can always find someone new to play with." B laughed harshly as he threw the orb into the air again; only this time, it didn't come back down again. Instead, it disappeared into thin air.

L looked around franticly. "W-where is she? I demand to know what you did with her!"

"Geez, don't get so bent out of shape. I just hid her away so you can't find her. She's one of the two prize choices, so I can't actually give her back to you until you win… if you win— which you won't."

"Two prize choices… What are you up to? What else could I possibly want more than that orb?"

"I'm so happy you asked! I've been waiting with so much anticipation to finally tell you!" B danced over to the hanging skeleton and started caressing its feet. "Do you know who this is?"

Before L could answer the question, he asked one of his own. "Please tell me that's not the other prize. It isn't, is it?"

"Oh no! This is mine! Come on, surely you know who this is! Oh wait, that's right. You never even bothered looking for her body— too obsessed with 'other' things."

The way B was caressing the skeleton's feet gave it away. "Naomi Misora."

The moment the name rolled off of L's tongue, B closed his eyes as if hearing a hypnotic melody. "Yes… yes, that's right. That's exactly who this is. But you can't have this trophy. This trophy is priceless. It's mine and mine alone. I have another prize in mind. It's really just a cheap copy of this beauty, but it actually bears a striking resemblance to the original package of this one."

L thought for a moment. "A copy of Naomi Misora is the second prize then? While I'll admit that Naomi Misora was a very attractive woman— both body and mind alike— I didn't think so much of her that I'd be tempted to find a copy."

"You aren't as observant as you think if you can't figure out who Naomi Misora resembles. In fact, shame on you, L!"

L pieced together an image of the Naomi he knew in his mind. It was difficult to recall every detail because it had been so long, yet the features L did manage to put together left him horrified. "B… you're saying—"

"I'm a reaper, L. I'm responsible for collecting souls, deprograming their memories, and making sure they build up their strength so that they're strong enough to pass into their next life. I have access to those souls and you— well… you don't. Tell me something, L. If you had to choose, which one would you pick? The air spirit or… your mother?"

L could feel his entire being trembling. His anxiety was causing him to morph into a puddle of water. "M-Mother….no."

"Yes! And I can actually cause damage to _her_ soul. I'm the equivalent to the human's mythical Lucifer, you know? I can make her suffer, and I _will_ make her suffer. It's all part of the game that I've set up for us to play. Which one will you try and save? Your dying soul mate? Or your distressed mother, in the hands of a devil? Which way will you go and how will you find either of them? You don't even know where to begin, do you? So much for being the world's greatest detective!" B laughed madly as he dematerialized, taking Naomi's remains with him. "Welcome to the spirit world, my friend! We have an entire eternity to kill! Hopefully, we can keep each other from getting bored— maybe even have a laugh or two at someone else's expense along the way."

L wanted to cry. He wanted to shower the entire world with a flood of biblical proportions. B had made a point. While L may have been the world's greatest detective in the human realm; here in the realm of the spirits— he was nothing. He struggled to calm his emotions so he could get his thoughts together. _'I need to find Taramik. I can beg him to reinforce the magic he put on Raine's orb so I can concentrate on mother. No, wait! What am I saying? First I need to—'_

L—Adian— had a long, hard battle ahead of him. Compared to this, the Kira case had been a simple game of tic-tac-toe. L's anger eventually got the better of him, which ended up causing him to explode into a geyser-like blast. "You want to play games, B? That's fine with me. Like you said, we've got an entire eternity to kill!"

An eternity… an eternity was indeed all they really had. The only thing to look forward to was infinite time. Without looking back, Adian left the world of humans— allowing the next chapter of his existence to begin.

**I know, it ended in a HUGE cliffhanger! In the final chapter of _World of Their Own_ however, Raine wakes up and reunites with L. That at least gives a little bit of closure as to how things turned out. I can't write about L and B's new game because it's would stray too far away from Death Note.**

* * *

**If you enjoyed reading about my elemental world, I'd like to re-announce my plans to write a series of books based on it. Adian and the elemental world have been completely separated from the Death Note world! All the OC's you met in this series have been totally revamped! I hope to have it out by late 2013 0r early 2014. If things go really well in time management, it could be released sooner. For more info and updates, visit my Deviant Art page. The link can be found on my profile. Again, thank you so much for reading! I'm taking a very long break from the fan-fiction world, but it was one hell of a fun ride! **

**Signing off now, **

**K. Lorraine West**


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